


A List of Seven

by weasleykingrocks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hogwarts, Love Triangles, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Original Character(s), Other, POV Scorpius Malfoy, Romance, Smut, Teen Angst, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:09:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 43,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26143126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleykingrocks/pseuds/weasleykingrocks
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy comes up with a list of goals to conquer over the seven years at Hogwarts to help him achieve what his bullied heart desires the most: popularity. Only if it was as easy to fulfill them as it was to write them. A teen story trope salad; rated Mature for language and mature scenes.
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy & Rose Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Comments: 30
Kudos: 86





	1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** All recognisable characters & settings belong to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

**1\. Prologue**

At eleven years, three months, and nineteen days old, Scorpius Malfoy is about to board the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

After the initial hesitation on entering Platform 9 ¾, and being spell-bound by the scarlet engine of the Hogwarts Express, Scorpius feels his nerves return at a degree he hadn't anticipated. His mind is flooded with questions.

Will he like Hogwarts?

Will he enjoy studying there?

Will he be liked?

Will he make friends?

"You'll be fine, love," he hears his mother say. She places her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

Astoria Malfoy was grace personified. Tall, lithe, and sharp, she was as cunning and ambitious as she was kind and caring. Scorpius loved his mother, and he knows he will miss her terribly at Hogwarts.

"I see the Weasleys and the Potters have a pair joining this year," his father, Draco Malfoy, says.

Scorpius looks in the direction his father pointed out, to spot a sea of redheads and brunettes, who are currently trying to look oblivious to the stares they were receiving.

With a jolt, he realises that he is looking at the Golden Trio, the saviours of the wizarding world. He can make out the Boy Who Lived, the magnificent Harry Potter, standing out in the group due to his untidy jet black hair. The tall red-headed bearded man must be Ron Weasley, the flaming hair and height making it obvious. The bushy, brown haired woman next to him clearly was Hermione Granger, who was rumoured to be a rising star in the Ministry, many projecting her as the next Minister of Magic.

Scorpius has read so many stories about them that he feels almost starstruck. He's also heard from his father about how they saved his life, despite being enemies at school, and he feels a rush of gratitude towards them. He loves his father, and understands that the mistakes he made as a child was due to the prejudices he was raised into.

But Scorpius's parents had ensured that he led a happy life without any restrictions. He grew up in a lovely home in Derbyshire, far away from Malfoy Manor, which was now tainted with the horrors of the Second Wizarding War. While that didn't stop other kids from bullying him about his infamous surname and unfortunate short stature, he decided that he would be as kind as possible to others. He'd gotten into nasty fights as when he was younger. But as his father told him, the world had enough negativity as it is, and he did not want to see his son adding to it.

"A Granger-Weasley kid is starting this year," his father says, sounding curious. He then looks down at his son, a solemn look on his face, "Be sure to beat the girl at grades. If she is anything like her mother, she will be brainy and smart. It's a good thing that you're so smart and can give her a run for her money."

Scorpius beams back. He knows it won't be a challenge. He's already gone through the books once, knows he's a genius, and he also knows that he will excel at school.

"But don't pick up any enmity with her. That won't work out well. And when I say that don't pick up any enmity, I also don't mean get married to her," says Draco, shooting him a smirk, taking Scorpius by surprise, "We do not want grandfather to turn in his grave, do we?"

Scorpius is _eleven_. Given how driven and focused he was, he was highly doubtful he'd want to date anyone, least of all someone who belonged to a family historically at odds with his.

"Be careful about coming on as a know-it-all," his father adds cautiously as they walk towards the train, "It doesn't usually bode well here at Hogwarts."

"I'll be okay, dad," replies Scorpius happily, "I'll be a good boy and make you both proud."

His parents look down on him adoringly and embrace him tightly, warning him that school may get difficult at times, but he'll always have his parents who will love him no matter what.

With that heartening thought, Scorpius bids goodbye to his parents and boards the Hogwarts Express. As the train leaves the station, he stands in the corridor, viewing the chaos of people hunting for compartments or meeting their friends after the holidays.

He is positive he was never this close to crying. He felt so lonely.

He quietly drags his suitcase and his owl cage featuring his tawny brown owl, Athena, past a few compartments, and lands himself in front of a compartment having only two boys, twins at that.

"Hello, excuse me?" he starts politely on opening the door. The identical twins, who seemed to be in an intense discussion, turn to face him.

"Can I sit here please? Everywhere else is full." Scorpius says softly. He is struck by how big their blue eyes are, and how bright they look against their strawberry blonde hair.

The twin on the right nods and gets up to help him with the trunk while Scorpius thanks him.

Scorpius also notices that the boy is almost a head taller than him. But then that's not something extraordinary, is it?

Scorpius was rather small for his age; the rather unfortunate nickname given by the kids in his neighbourhood for him was 'Pipsqueak'. He desperately hopes something like this doesn't catch up here at Hogwarts. Or that he hits puberty soon and shoots up in height; his parents were tall _,_ and given how much he looked like them, it was astounding for him that he had practically inherited every physical feature, save their height.

"I'm Lysander by the way," says the boy who helped him, extending his hand, "Lysander Scamander. I'll be starting this year with my brother."

Scorpius's eyes widen, his heart skipping a beat, "Your father isn't Rolf Scamander, is he?"

"Yes he is," pipes the other twin, who smiles curiously at him, "I'm Lorcan, by the way."

"Nice to meet you both. I'm a big fan of your father's work," exclaims Scorpius hurriedly, trying to keep his excitement in check.

He is speaking to people who know one of his idols personally. This is unbelievable! "His wildlife discoveries last year in the Amazon basin were absolutely tremendous!"

"You're the first one we've met on the train who's excited about our dad's work," says Lorcan, chuckling, "Few others who came in for a seat moved out of our compartment when we started talking about our trek in the Amazons - don't think we ever caught your name? You're -?"

Scorpius suddenly feels like he is in the spotlight.

"Scorpius Malfoy. I'm starting this year as well." he says timidly. Predictably, their eyes widen for a moment and there is an awkward silence, which is broken by Lysander.

"Well you're kind of different from what we thought Malfoys would look like," says Lysander, looking amused.

Irritation creeps up Scorpius's neck. This felt familiar.

He fumes. "Really? Expected us to have fangs? Combust into flames in the sun-"

"No," says Lysander, rolling his eyes, "We thought you'd be taller."

Scorpius turns pink.

" _Anyhow_ ," snaps Lorcan, looking irritated at this unnecessary banter that interrupted his own tale, "The Amazon basin is incredible - do you know there are a million species of magical creatures currently hiding in there, half of them yet to be categorised and broken down -"

As Lorcan rambles on about their trip to the Amazons, Scorpius finds himself calming down. As Lysander pulls out a book of puzzles and asks Scorpius if he wants to join him, the young Malfoy decides he likes the Scamander twins so far. They didn't bother to dwell on his parentage nor turn hostile after knowing so.

He notices curious looks thrown into their compartment during the ride, some already looking rather hateful.

Something tells him that he needs to be prepared for the hate that might come his way.

* * *

"RAVENCLAW!"

Scorpius is shaking when the Sorting Hat announces his house after what seemed like hours of deliberation.

He is relieved that the Sorting Hat paid heed to his request of not being sorted into Slytherin. His grandfather had turned against some Death Eaters to get a reduced sentence post the war, and some of their descendants were currently studying at Hogwarts. The last thing he wanted was being stuck in a common room with these people.

There is scattered applause that follows his announcement, but the reaction from the people in the hall mainly is that of shock.

Because a Malfoy in Ravenclaw? Really?

He staggers his way to the Ravenclaw table on the left, where he is greeted warmly by a beautiful, older redhead. She extends her hand to him, and says softly, "Victoire Weasley. Head Girl. Welcome to Ravenclaw, Scorpius!"

He shakes her hand in awe, stunned into silence - partly because of her beauty, and partly because he realised that this was the first time someone had chosen to introduce themselves to him _after_ his name was made known.

Another redhead, much younger than Victoire but older than him, nods at him encouragingly. The freckles on their faces indicate that they are related.

At that moment, he decides that he will be very nice to the Weasleys and the Potters.

There are already four other first years on the table. Scorpius knows them by their names, as he'd listened very carefully during the sorting - Nikhil Finch-Fletchley, Eleanor Davies, Jilian Jackson, Lauren Goldstein. And another one joins in as he was speaking to Victoire - Steve McDonald

He smiles warmly at them. They, however, look back at him cautiously, as if they might catch something if they even as much smile at him.

He feels awkward and desperately wishes for the Scamander twins to be sorted into Ravenclaw so that he has at least one friendly face in his house.

He notes the roar that follows when Albus Potter is sorted into Gryffindor.

The boy is a complete replica of his father. On arriving at the Gryffindor table, Albus is immediately engulfed by what looks like a bunch of redheads and brunettes, and then some more salutations by older housemates.

Scorpius feels a pang of jealousy at the clear adoration Albus Potter receives. How different things might have been had his own name been something other than Malfoy?

His wish of a friend in the same house as him partly comes true: after Alex Samuels is sorted in Ravenclaw, Lysander comes along as well, grinning wildly. Lorcan had been sorted into Hufflepuff.

Scorpius feels himself flush as Lysander wraps his gangly arms around him in an affectionate embrace; he's never received such affection from anyone but his family, but he feels highly pleased.

The Sorting continues and one last person joins Ravenclaw after Lysander: Rose Weasley.

Her hair is the first thing Scorpius notices as she sits across him; it's the most vibrant shade of red he's ever seen and it's _wild_. Her eyes are deep blue, as blue as the sapphires in his mother's wedding ring.

He's always loved the colour blue, truly fascinating for him. It also thrills him that the colour of his house would be blue and bronze.

He realises that Rose is staring at him with something akin to curiosity, and not disdain or the likes, and he sees an opportunity that he must not miss.

"Scorpius Malfoy," he says confidently, extending his hand for a shake.

Rose Weasley stares at his hand, and then back at him, looking slightly confused.

He flushes with embarrassment as his hand is left hanging, but just as he is about to take back his hand, Rose grips it firmly and shakes it.

"Rose Weasley. Pleasure to meet you," she says, a smile breaking on her face. She has rather large front teeth.

He also notices that there is something melodic and soothing about her voice. Maybe she can hold a tune.

The others on the table eye this exchange with curiosity, but Scorpius feels lighter than he had been in the past few hours. There are at least two faces in his house and year who won't really run away from him because of his name.

The Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, rises to give a speech, welcoming the first years to Hogwarts and issuing a warning to maintain discipline, after shooting a stern look to the Gryffindor table. Two boys with dark hair stand up at the table and salute her, and there are titters _everywhere_.

"So the letters were true. Fred and James just can't help showing off, can they?"

Scorpius turns back to his table to see Rose Weasley shaking her head.

"They are my cousins. Third year." she adds for the people in the vicinity, who nod in recognition.

"So which Weasley are you? Like who are your parents?" asks Eleanor. Before Rose can respond, food appears in front of them, making Scorpius's eyes pop out. He is positive he has never seen such a lavish feast in his life before. They even have shepherd's pie - his favourite!

"Ron and Hermione Granger - Weasley," responds Lysander, stuffing a chicken leg in his mouth, inadvertently sending some flying across. " 'orry 'ose!" Rose simply waves it off, digging into her mashed potatoes and chicken.

Comprehension dawns on Scorpius.

She's the one he has to beat; he'll have to keep an eye on this one. Friends or not, he _will_ beat her at grades.

He also understands that Rose and Lysander know each other well, if the comfortable air they seem to share is anything to go by.

The rest of the first year Ravenclaws look in awe of her.

"You're one of the off-springs from The Golden Trio!" pipes Eleanor from next to Rose after some time, "How does it feel?"

Rose, who had been piling more mashed potatoes onto her plate, suddenly looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Um, my parents are lovely and life is good. Except that our names are in the newspaper all the time, and we're surrounded by people who just seem to have so many questions, so that's annoying."

Scorpius lets out a snort at the very obvious jibe. He sees Eleanor & Jilian looking offended, while Rose shoots him a small smile. He returns it.

"So, Malfoy," asks Steve McDonald, biting into a fry, "How was it growing up in a former Death Eater's household?"

Scorpius drops his fork in shock, which falls with a loud clang against the table. He should have expected this.

"Oh sod off, Steve!" says Lysander, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "That's not a kind thing to ask."

"What? I'm just curious. None of us have had the experience." replies Steve, sounding defensive.

Lysander looks ready to retort, but Scorpius holds him back by his arm, silently telling him to not bother.

"Is it true that Malfoys sleep in coffins standing up?" asks Alex Samuels, his brown eyes peering at him through his thick rectangular glasses. He looked genuinely convinced, "I had read it once in a wartime tell-all by Rita Skeeter." he announces pompously to those in the vicinity.

Scorpius could feel the anger bubble within him. That supposed nutcase of a tell-all had really messed up things for his father, whose apothecary business had suffered tremendously the year the book was released. Scorpius was five at the time. He remembers how the holiday celebrations that year had been rather humble. However, it had been one of the happier Christmases from his memory.

While wanting to knock off Alex Samuels, Scorpius realises that maybe people at Hogwarts will have to be dealt with differently. He can't display his anger here, the way he'd dealt with the kids from the neighbourhood. He'd worked way too hard to learn how to suppress it. Besides, many of them come with prejudices they may not have a hand in. He could be the bigger one, and help them see the light.

All the first year Ravenclaws were staring at him curiously.

Maybe handling them differently would work for now.

"Coffins have the most interesting back support," he says matter-of-factly, extracting a gasp from Alex. Rose chokes on her food, suppressing her grin. He feels heartened and he continues, "We have found them to be wonderful bedrests. The blood circulation while we sleep from midnight to noon is absolutely fantastic. Plus we have our own privacy. No sharing of coffins between two people. I would highly recommend ordering yourself a coffin from I-Am-Still-Standing Coffin Makers store in Diagon Alley. They make them in all sizes." He then reaches to his goblet of pumpkin juice and takes a sip.

Lysander doubles up in laughter next to him, snorting his pumpkin juice all over the table.

Rose Weasley is clearly trying to hide a smile now. Once she gets a grip, she speaks up, "Rita Skeeter has only written garbage since before my parents' time at Hogwarts. Whatever she writes, just consume it as badly written fiction. Scorpius is just like us-"

"Rose!" interrupts Jilian Jackson, holding a starstruck smile, "I think it's so sweet and amazing of you to defend Scorpius even though his family tortured your mother in the second wizarding war."

Scorpius's blood runs cold at the mention of this. His father had admitted this to be one of the darkest moments of his life, where he'd watched his classmate being tortured mercilessly for information. This incident became one of the many reasons Draco Malfoy wanted to raise his family outside the Manor; the place held too many bad memories.

The smile that had adorned Rose's face ever since she sat across him disappears in a flash.

"I think that's enough for now." comes Victoire Weasley's stern voice. She is looking concernedly at Rose who is now staring at the table, her face now pale. Scorpius also believes that Rose may have teared up.

As the dessert is served, Scorpius realises Rose hasn't spoken to him since Jilian's unfortunate line of questioning. In fact, she's clearly avoiding his gaze, which pinches him hard. Just when he thought he was making another friend, this had to happen.

But he is glad that he has Lysander with him. Couple of things he discovers about his new friend:

1\. He is obsessed with solving puzzles

2\. He displayed the first sign of magic when he was four years old, when he turned Lorcan's hair bright yellow because he was annoying him.

3\. His birthday is on June 24th.

4\. He hates salamanders. Absolutely abhors them

5\. He would love to work as a cursebreaker after Hogwarts

6\. He enjoys watching Holyhead Harpies' Quidditch matches. Was a big fan of Ginny Potter

7\. He values friendships highly, and already feels that he and Scorpius will be friends for life

The feast is over and everybody is rustling to their feet to head to their towers. Scorpius follows a kind-looking blonde girl and a sandy haired boy along with the rest of the first years. He is wowed by the hundreds of staircases changing continuously, the constantly chattering portraits and the sheer magnanimity of the Hogwarts castle.

Scorpius has decided that Hogwarts is a sight for the sore eyes.

He walks into the circular Ravenclaw Common Room ("We have riddles to solve before entering the common room. Awesome!" says Lysander excitedly) and is enraptured by the blue and bronze decor. The sight of cushy chairs, regal drapes, and a crackling fireplace feels very welcoming to him.

As he tumbles into his four poster bed (next to Lysander's), tired after a long day and a heavy dinner, he finally accepts that this place will be his home for the next seven years.

He hopes that Hogwarts will accept him as well.

* * *

Scorpius is easily among the first ones at the breakfast table. He's excited for the first day of school and all the learning that's waiting for him. The day can't start soon enough!

Next to him, Lysander lets out a loud yawn, while trying to eat his cereal. Lysander was not pleased when Scorpius woke him up to go down early for breakfast. He claims he could have slept fifteen minutes extra, and made enough time for breakfast and reach classes on time.

Soon, the Great Hall starts filling up. Scorpius notices that people are avoiding sitting in front of him or next to him. Rose Weasley even nods at Lysander in greeting but averts her eyes the moment she senses him looking at her.

He tries his best to suppress the disappointment; he should focus on the big picture.

His timetable is handed to him and he perks up. He's excited about starting his time at Hogwarts with Potions!

Scorpius used to join his father at the apothecary during his free time and found himself highly intrigued by the medical potions his father used to concoct. He can even say that he'd inherited his father's aptitude for his subject, and his father was a master potioneer; his father had even gotten an 'O' in his Potions OWLS and Scorpius hopes to replicate the same when his time comes.

So after breakfast, he drags Lysander with him, chattering happily about the exciting prospects of medical potions and herbs. He grabs a seat at the front of the class, much to Lysander's chagrin. Ravenclaws are having this class with the Hufflepuffs. He can already spot Rose Weasley slipping into a seat next to Lorcan, who doesn't hesitate in regaling her with some tales. Scorpius finds his eyes drawn to a girl behind them with the most stunning black hair, falling in soft ringlets around her heart-shaped face. She's in conversation with a chubby-faced blonde that he surmises is Alice Longbottom, Professor Longbottom's daughter. The former's brown eyes suddenly catch his grey ones and he feels his cheeks heat up, albeit not uncomfortably. He turns back to the front of the class, wondering why is his heart suddenly hammering so hard.

During the roll call with their Potions Professor, who went by the name Urquhart, Scorpius finds out that the mystery girl's name is Gracie Jones. Lysander takes that moment to hiss excitedly in his ear, "Holy hells! She's Gwenog Jones' youngest girl!"

Lysander quickly explains that Gwenog Jones is a former Harpies captain who had led the team to many outstanding League victories.

As the professor continues to introduce the lesson, Scorpius wonders how blessed or cursed he is to be in a year with so many celebrity kids.

* * *

By the end of the day, Scorpius is _seething_.

Because Rose Weasley is utterly _insufferable_.

She is competing with him, and she is competing _hard_. During Potions and Herbology (with Slytherins) today, she matched step with him, her hand shooting in the air as much as his, and as fast as he was doing it. Her answers were precise, just like his. He'd correct her if she got any detail wrong. And she would only argue back.

What annoys him are the smug grins and raised eyebrows she shot his way, as if she was the only one who had the right answers.

At the end of both classes, professors simply request them to allow others to participate and not answer till called out.

Scorpius is annoyed at her for stealing his thunder. And she is visibly furious at him for ruining her moment of triumph.

Some part of him sees this as a futile exercise, given that both of them are in the same house, and could do with working together to help Ravenclaw win points for the House Cup.

But only if Rose Weasley could get her head out of her arse for a single moment and listen to him. But no, she was one was pigheaded, prejudiced prissy.

By the time dinner rolls around, Scorpius is famished.

He's happily walking to the Ravenclaw table, with Lysander next to him, when he suddenly trips over something, sending him flying across the floor.

There is laughter everywhere; Scorpius can see his fellow Ravenclaws laughing as well. Lysander is fuming, looking around for the culprit who shot him with a tripping jinx.

Scorpius doesn't stay around for longer. Ears burning and eyes stinging, he picks himself up and walks out of the Great Hall to head back to his dormitory, ignoring Lysander's calls. He wasn't hungry anymore.

Though when Lysander comes back later to the dorm with some dinner for him, he devours the chicken legs and grilled corn.

"They'll get over it, Scorp," he says sadly, sighing hard. Scorpius prays for it to be true.

* * *

Thankfully, it's the weekend immediately after one day of classes and it goes rather smoothly for Scorpius as he is mostly holed in up in his dorm or the library, exploring other books Hogwarts currently hosts. But he takes out time to explore the castle, realising that his new home is absolutely beautiful. Once or twice in the hallway, he can hear words like 'tiny death eater' and 'blood traitor' thrown at him, but he only ignores them. The stupid kids were not allowed to diminish the happiness he felt at being at Hogwarts! He gets time to write to his parents, informing them that he's in Ravenclaw and has found a friend in Lysander. They write back saying that they are thrilled to hear about his sorting and that he is making friends. His father, however, cautions him to not wander into the forbidden forest with the Scamander boys; his own experience from his first year back then was quite traumatising for him.

The week ahead is when he understands how mean people Hogwarts can really be.

On Monday, someone charms the back of the robes to say 'Death Eater Spawn'. He doesn't realise it till the furious whispers during Transfiguration reach his ears. He's appalled and humiliated beyond belief when he discovers it. Lysander swears to take revenge on the idiots who dared to do that, but Scorpius tries to brush it off as if it was no big deal, while he was crushed from the inside. The Head of his house and the Transfiguration teacher, Professor Terry Boot, is kind enough to vanish the lettering stuck on his robe, and sternly warns the students against such behaviour. But Scorpius neither forgets nor ignores the mischievous grins shot his way from the Slytherin table during dinner that night.

On Wednesday, someone slips a voice changing potion in his goblet of pumpkin juice. His voice becomes even more high-pitched and he bites his lips between his teeth, holding himself back from speaking during the day, much to Lysander's bewilderment. He isn't able to answer any of the questions the professors ask their class. His heart cries when he hears Rose Weasley rattling off her perfectly structured answer. He can guess that the culprit behind the prank was either a Ravenclaw or Slytherin, given the proximity of the house tables and the probability of someone messing around with his drink without being caught. He quickly sneaks a peak at Rose during dinner, suspecting her of tinkering with his drink; he finds her to be staring back at him rather confused.

On Thursday, during breakfast, someone turns his mop of red hair. Like the Weasley red. He's indignant, and turns to look at Rose to know if she had anything to do with it. But then he notes Lysander looking stunned under a mop of identical red hair. So does Eleanor. And Jilian. The entire Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables are covered with red heads. It's only a matter of minutes before everyone's yelling and laughing. James Potter and Fred Weasley stand on the Gryffindor benches and take a mock bow, minutes before being reprimanded by Professor Longbottom, who looks highly amused. Among all the teasing he'd gone through, this turns out to be a lighter moment. Scorpius desperately prays for the worst to be over - he is really not fond of this colour, especially on his head.

And then Friday comes, and it only gets worse. Or better - depends on the way you see it.

He is hurrying back from dinner to back to his dorm, having stayed back in the Great Hall after Professor Urquhart had called him and had discussed the perfection of his Boil Cure potion with Professor Longbottom (who was observing him keenly). Scorpius had stammered and blushed through the talk, taken aback at the appreciation being showered on him; he wasn't used to it.

But just as he is heading back to the Ravenclaw tower, he's ambushed by a group of boys who drag him to a secluded corner.

He feels his heart in his mouth; his vision is unclear as he is roughly taken by the collar and slammed up against the wall. He feels a sharp prick at the back of his head. That's going to hurt for a while now.

The face in front of him finally comes into focus, and with a jolt he realises he is looking into Zachary Nott's livid face. The Malfoys and Notts had been friends in their days, but their relationship had soured over time when Theodore Nott Senior, Zachary's grandfather, was arrested due to Lucius Malfoy's confessions.

"How dare you even show up here, Malfoy?" he sneers into his face, and Scorpius curses under his breath when he notices Rudolph Carrow behind Nott holding his own wand. He was defenseless at the moment.

Nott was in the same year as him, but felt almost twice as large. They'd had their scuffles in the past, post which Malfoys and Notts had stopped associating with each other.

"Got my Hogwarts letter, you half-brained oaf. That's how you make it to Hogwarts." spits Scorpius just as sharply, his grey eyes turning into slits. He absolutely despised this idiot. He feels the old hatred, the absolute feeling, rise in waves within him.

He barely registers Nott's face turning into a scowl, before he feels Nott's fist landing on his cheek. _Hard_.

Scorpius barely has time to wince, his face stinging hard at the impact when he feels a knee to his stomach, bringing him to his knees.

He feels his eyes tear up. This _hurt_.

"That'll teach you to keep that mouth under control, traitor." he hears Nott say before laughing. The two boys with him also burst into laughter.

"Kudos to you though." Scorpius smirks through his pain, trying to get up and meet his eye. The boys all stop laughing and look at him, making him feel better. He will _not_ stand down. "You have finally learnt to hit more than once in a span of sixty seconds."

Nott's nostrils flare up in response. Then, as if in slow motion, he sees Nott raise his bulky leg, ready to kick him, but he also sees the outline of spell hit Nott's neck, snapping his body rigid in a moment's time. And then he falls to the ground. The boys behind Nott look stumped before looking at each other.

Scorpius swiftly turns to look at Nott's attacker, only to spot Rose Weasley's nervous form, her hand raised in front of her, her wand shaking in her hands.

He takes this moment to tackle Carrow, who crumbles like a pin on being tackled. The third boy, Donald Murk, is a little slow on the uptake. By the time he takes his wand out, Rose has already shot him a full body-bind curse, and he too falls back.

Scorpius easily wrestles his wand out of Carrow's grip, who seems a little wary of getting into a scramble with two very much conscious Ravenclaws.

Rose is already running towards him and quickly grabs hold of him.

" _Let's go, before the prefects find us!_ " she hisses, tugging at his upper arm. Scorpius doesn't need a second telling. He gets up quickly, and winces just as much.

"Carrow, take care of your buddies," Rose says sternly, pointing at his temple. Scorpius is surprised; he never thought he'd find her intimidating since she had a rather kind face. But she did look ferocious at the moment. Maybe it was the wild red hair and the big expressive eyes. "You dare try anything funny as we walk away, you will have a whole clan of Weasley-Potters hunting your arse for the next seven years."

Scorpius won't lie. He is highly impressed with her right now.

He doesn't say a word as she wraps one of his arms around her shoulder, and she grabs him by his waist. The angle is a bit awkward since she's notably taller than him, but he's silently grateful for all the help.

He's also very confused. Why was she helping him? After days of the silent treatment, she is talking and helping him like they're more than mere acquaintances. But then, Scorpius surmises, he too would not stay away from helping those in need.

"Where are we going?" he asks instead as they walk ahead, the corridor they'd been fighting in seemingly miles away from where they were.

"The hospital wing, of course!" she replies in near disbelief. Scorpius believes she may have rolled her eyes as well. But he couldn't see her face.

They reach the hospital wing and he is immediately admonished by Madam Pomfrey, who is busy chiding him and a couple of others for being injured barely a week into school life.

Scorpius sits on a chair while Madam Pomfrey is examining him. He notes Rose looking at him nervously.

"So are we talking now?" he asks, trying to keep the bite out of his tone.

Rose turns red at the mention. Scorpius wonders if someone could blush so much.

"Yeah," she replies softly, her eyes bright as she looks at him. He notes the guilt lurking in her eyes. He realises he doesn't need to hear anything else.

"Good," he says, feeling a lot lighter than he had been in a while. He smiles at her and she returns it. He feels hopeful.

He'd never had any friends while growing up; he'd had cousins from his mother's side, but they didn't spend much time together, more due to the animosity between his mother and his aunt Daphne that developed after his mother had chosen to be with his father.

He really, _really_ wanted to make more friends. And Rose seemed nice enough. Except for her reaction to the past misdeeds of his family.

Madam Pomfrey waves her wands over his ribs and he yelps when he feels something snap into place within him.

"Broken ribs." she says plainly, her eyes taking him sharply, "Avoid getting into fist fights here, Mr. Malfoy. Your name will invite a lot of reactions and emotions. So please be careful."

Scorpius nods at her, feeling a lump in his throat. He's going to have to deal with a lot of shit over the next seven years, wouldn't he?

But as he jumps off the chair and walks back to the Ravenclaw common room with Rose (who turns out to be a chatterbox, a complete reveal) he is a little more optimistic about the weeks ahead.

* * *

It does get better. But just about.

And all of that because of the two friends he has.

( _He has friends now, people!_ )

Lysander is definitely one of the most funnest people Scorpius has ever come across. They have many similar interests although Lysander is far more laid back in his approach, reserving his energy for the few things that matter the most to him. Rose on the other hand is just about as passionate about things as he is. She is still competitive, often comparing the points she won for Ravenclaw against what he did and arguing with him on his theories about various potions and magical plants. But she is kind and often carries around these muggle chocolates he loves to nick off her just to see her lose her mind.

A month into Hogwarts, Scorpius is exposed to more hatred, more name-calling, more trash talk, but thankfully no more of the cruel pranks. He wants to tell his parents how much this bothers him, because it _does_ bother him.

But he doesn't tell them. He's heard enough to know that his parents can't do anything about it; he's the only one who can change the perception about him.

It's on a lazy Saturday afternoon when he is exploring the library when he comes across a self-help book in the hidden corners of the shelves - almost missable. It looks like it has been read quite often, but also hidden from the rest of the world. It seems like a Muggle book, making Scorpius wonder how it even reached here. But it was the title that caught his eye.

_"So You Want To Be Loved" by Don't-Even-Bother,_ it said. Curious, he opens to the first page. And he is hooked.

It is a book that speaks to him about wanting to be loved, to be popular among his peers, to be looked upon with respect, worshiped even. It is an engrossing read, a book he'd finishes by that night, a book that gives him some insight on how he could become popular at Hogwarts. At the end, book asks him to observe his surroundings and understand what made people popular or well-liked before setting his goals. The book had even given structure to as to how to design his goals so that he'd be motivated to achieve them.

So he does observe. He looks around curiously during classes, during meal times; his ears are more alert than usual and then by the next weekend, he finds himself at his desk again, ready to jot down the seven things that can make him popular at Hogwarts. He picks up a quill and starts writing on the parchment.

Scorpius Malfoy's List of Seven, he names it

_ONE: I will be a good friend._

Stories of strong friendships and bonds were often revered in a place like Hogwarts. James Potter and Fred Weasley were not just cousins, they were brothers, a fierce friendship that many admired. And it goes without saying how friendship shared by the Golden Trio, the Marauders became the stuff of legends. He promises himself that he'd be the best ever person to Lysander and Rose over the next seven years and beyond.

_TWO: I will make it to the Quidditch Team._

Quidditch players at Hogwarts were automatically uplifted on the popularity ladder at Hogwarts. Scorpius knew he was a pretty decent Quidditch player, if their first Quidditch class was anything to go by (the broom had flown into his hand the moment he said up; very few people in their year had accomplished that) He knew he had a pretty good shot at making it to the team next year. Shouldn't be a difficult one.

_THREE: I will get ten Outstanding OWLs_

He almost tuts while writing this. This was a personal goal. While brains were certainly admired at Hogwarts, with the most studious people in the respective years hosting tutorials before exams and being very much in demand. Taking ten subjects would allow him to interact with many people across the year, helping him with his visibility and accessibility. That, and ten OWLs was a stellar academic record that could help him later with job interviews and applications.

_FOUR: He will get tall._

Scorpius sighs while writing this. Now he was tinkering with difficult goals. He honestly doesn't know if he would grow into his frame. But there was no harm in wanting this. As unfortunate as society constructs were, tall men were admired a lot. Scorpius had noted the look of awe the tall guys at Hogwarts got. They were admired and very much desired as a partner. Whatever workout or magic he needs to do, he will do it to ensure he grows up. He knows it's shallow. But he wants to be one of the tall guys.

_FIVE: He will date the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts_

Scorpius has seen how many people still talk about Teddy Lupin, who'd graduated two years prior and was currently dating Victoire. And then there's her sister Dominique, a fourth year Gryffindor, who is dating Ian Woodcroft, a fifth year Huffepuff, and Scorpius knows how boys chase him, asking him for tips on dating girls. A good-looking couple surely got talked about a lot at Hogwarts. Dating the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts would definitely put him in the spotlight. As much as he'd been denying the probability of dating someone in school at the beginning, it just seems like that it would be needed to boost his likability in the Hogwarts peer circle.

_SIX: He will lose his virginity before he turns eighteen_

Scorpius is blushing furiously while writing this. Before he was to leave for Hogwarts, his father had spluttered and fumbled through the talk about s-e-x, using grandiose Quidditch metaphors that had Scorpius very confused and mortified at the same time. When he couldn't understand what his father meant by putting his quaffle in his or her hoop, he'd asked his father for more clarity on that. It had led to his mother stepping in and explaining _everything_. He is still balking at the idea of his penis entering a girl's vag- _you-know-what_ , and was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that people did that for pleasure ( _like, eww_ ). But apparently, s-e-x was a hot topic here at Hogwarts, with hushed whispers around who's doing whom, who was caught where etc. rushing through the corridors. He doesn't really see this goal happening, given how disgusted he is at the idea of sex. But what's the harm in writing it down? Because this clearly made people popular in the social circles. Hopefully, he'll be dating the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts, and he'll do it with her. Hopefully, it will come a whole lot more naturally then.

_SEVEN:_

Scorpius struggles with the last one. He has decided that he will only have seven goals to conquer. There was, after all, a sacred power associated with the number seven. It's another thing that it's his favourite number. He thinks deep and hard about what he should write here. And then believes that this should again be something personal, something he should strive for. He smiles when his final goal sinks in.

He will be happy _,_ he finishes the writing the seventh goal, with a flourish of his quill.

Scorpius sits backs in his chair, feeling oddly confident, now that he had a plan in place to ensure that people would like him.

And they were all achievable, no big deal.

Right?

* * *

_A/N  
  
Sooooo - Hello to all. Posting a story for the first time on AO3!   
  
_ _Have written Rose/Scorpius stories prior, but had been published on other sites. This fic is coming-of-age tale stewing in a lot of teen story tropes we are all aware of. The story was alternatively titled "Just Another Teen Story" so you can imagine, haha! It's silly and fun, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it._

_The story is rated T for now. But may get bumped up to mature ratings in the later chapters as Scorpius grows._

_Please excuse the length of the prologue. Aim is to keep the chapters shorter, and update more regularly._

_Do comment/review and let me know what you thought of the chapter :)_


	2. One of ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks!
> 
> Now onto the next one.
> 
> As always, looking forward to your thoughts. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I liked writing it :)

**Disclaimer:** Everything recognizable belongs to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

_ONE: I will be a good friend._

* * *

Scorpius is a little nervous as he walks towards his father's study, the summer sun shining through the french windows, lighting up the hallway.

Wrapped neatly in one of his fists is a letter from Rose Weasley, asking him when he'd be dropping by to The Burrow to visit her. In his other fist is a letter from Lysander, telling him that he'd plan his visit to The Burrow according to his plan.

He really wants to go to The Burrow.

So right now he is heading to meet his parents and ask for their permission so that his summer can extend the magic he calls Hogwarts.

Hogwarts is a life that he couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams, despite what his parents described. Every class is an opportunity to learn something new. Every weekend is a time to explore the castle and discover its secrets. And every day is a day to be with his friends.

Till date, he struggles to understand how he ended up being friends with Lysander and Rose. While it thrills his heart that he has people to talk to, it excites him even more that there are people who want to be around him, who actually _like_ him. There are of course many others who are still wary around him, call him names, and try to jump him, but it's hard to feel hurt or offended when he has people who accept him for who he is.

Since the summer started three weeks ago, he has missed his friends terribly, his house too large and too empty to keep him entertained. He misses Lysander's conspiracy theories about certain events that happened around the world, Rose's rambles about the latest muggle fiction she's read over the weekend, Lysander's impulsiveness that leads them to explore new crevices of the castle, Rose's eyes flashing angrily at him as he happily nicks another Mars Bar mini from her, tutoring Lysander in Charms and Potions in the wee hours of the night right before the exams, comparing notes with Rose post the exams and then squabbling over whose answer was more accurate.

Merlin's balls, he _really_ misses his friends.

He stands outside the study, trying to listen in and gauge the mood. He can hear his mother playing the piano. In his mind, he can see his father unconsciously smiling as he reads a book in that cushiony chair by the fireplace.

Best time to do this, really.

He quietly opens the door and walks in, his parents immediately turning to look at him.

"All well, sweetheart?" asks his mother curiously, "You look like you're about to throw up."

"I needed to ask something. Permission." he starts. His palms have started sweating already. He loosens his fists; he doesn't want to ruin the letters.

"Yes? Go on." his father says, looking at him sharply.

Scorpius turns pink.

"Well, you know about my friends Rose Weasley and Lysander Scamander."

"Yes, my dear. Your letters are filled about them and your adventures with them." his mother says, now turning on the stool to look at him properly.

"So Rose has invited me to her family home, The Burrow, over the summer. Lysander will be there. I'd like to go as well."

There's pin-drop silence in which he can hear his own heart thudding loudly against his chest. His father's lips have curled, while his mother's face has turned pale. He knows what they are concerned about, so he continues. "The entire family will be there. I trust my friends. I will be safe."

He stares at his parents who exchange a look, conversing silently through their eyes.

His mother finally speaks up. "I don't see why you shouldn't go."

Relief floods his vein and he nearly jumps in excitement.

"I think next weekend looks good." his father says, adding further to his happiness, "Your mother will drop you there-"

"Both of us will drop you there," his mother says sharply, looking at her husband with narrowed eyes, making him groan.

"Astoria-" his father sighs.

"Both," she says firmly, and his father shrugs.

"Fine. But don't expect me to start a conversation." his father says, before picking up his book.

His mother turns to look at him, smiling. "Scorpius dear, why don't you write to Rose to about your visit? I'm quite sure she would need to inform her parents about it in advance."

He literally sprints back to his room to send out mail, his entire body shaking with excitement.

His summer was about to get so much better!

* * *

Scorpius is frozen in his spot as he takes in the sight of The Burrow. He's at the rickety gate, his parents right behind him.

The place is nothing like his home in Derbyshire, but there's just something about this crooked building that screams home.

" _Scorpius! You made it!_ "

He spots Rose running towards him, her round cheeks flushed and her wild hair flying behind her. She slows down as she spots his parents, suddenly looking shy. She then gathers herself and walks towards them.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy!" she says in a small voice. He feels his mother smile warmly at Rose.

"It's so lovely to finally meet you, Rose." his mother says kindly, "Scorpius just can't stop talking about you. Heard you tied for the top place in your year. You give him quite the run for his money, don't you?"

Scorpius feels his face turn hot. He did not expect his mother to betray his trust like this!

Even though she'd grown to be a friend, he (secretly) still considers his best competition at Hogwarts, still striving to do better than her. He doesn't want her to know that he still found her to be a formidable competitor. The Cheshire grin that makes its way to her face does nothing to calm his senses, even though she flushes the brightest red at the compliments being showered on her.

"I did not say that," he argues lamely, but the grin she shoots him clearly says he's lost the battle already.

He is then immediately distracted at the sight of the Golden Trio at the Burrow's door watching his family's interaction with Rose. They are a terrifying sight together, especially if the stiff upper lip that Ron Weasley seems to maintain and the alert expression on Harry Potter's face while walking down together are anything to go by. Hermione Granger-Weasley is the first one to approach them, a welcoming smile on her face.

"Welcome Scorpius!" she says as she reaches them, "Astoria, Draco." she nods politely.

Scorpius notes that Rose looks quite similar to her mother, but inherits most of the dominant features such as her hair colour, her eyes, and the freckles from her father. He also realises that Ron Weasley has reached them and is currently scanning him from head to toe, his blue eyes simmering with suspicion.

Scorpius decides that Ron Weasley is an intimidating man.

He tries his best to not gawk at Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the one who's defeated death twice, but it's really hard not to do that.

He was in the presence of a true hero! The man looked harmless enough at first glance, but there was something about the air around him that spoke volumes about how powerful he was.

He tunes back into the current situation to understand that the mothers are engaging in a friendly conversation, while the fathers are standing rather stiffly next to their wives. Harry Potter is watching the entire conversation with mild amusement on his face.

"Mum!" interrupts Rose. All adults turn to look at her. "Can I take Scorpius inside? Albus is about to start on another round of exploding snap, and I don't want us to miss this game."

Without waiting for a response, she grabs his hand and tugs him towards the burrow.

"Lysander is here already! With Lorcan," she says quickly as they enter the Burrow, but Scorpius is rendered speechless at the sight in front of him.

There are redheads _everywhere._ Adults, and young ones. Sprawled on the floor, seated on the sofa, leaning against the tables, seated on futons.

Literally all over the room.

He is immediately spotted by James Potter, who is lying on his stomach with a board game in front of him.

"Well, well, well, look what Rosie dragged in," he says, grinning at them mischievously. Fred Weasley from next to him shoots him a similar smirk. It's scary how similar they look, despite not looking physically similar at all.

"Oh come on guys, Malfoy's alright!" says Felix Longbottom from next to them. He was in the same year and house as James and Fred.

"Of course, you'd say that, Felix!" says James, rolling his eyes "You barely hate anyone or find annoying."

"He's a good, smart kid. Besides Dad's always praising his aptitude for plants and herbs. The best in the year, he says."

This is the moment he shoots Rose a victorious grin, clearly winning their previous 'discussion' (Rose's words; he calls them arguments) about whom did Neville Longbottom think was better at Herbology. She shoots him a glare, making him chuckle. Oh, he enjoys riling her up so much!

"If you excuse us, we have a game to join," announces Rose, nudging him to a different section of the living room. He is aware of the gazes that follow him, but they feel more that of curiosity than disdain. In the corner, he spots a seated Lysander and Albus Potter in a conversation with a smaller redhead. Lorcan, whom he'd almost missed in the crowd, spots him and nearly yells out, "Hey, Scorpius is here!"

"Finally!" grins Lysander on seeing him. Scorpius returns his grin, glad to see his friend again.

"Hey Scorpius," calls out Albus with a small smile, which Scorpius returns. They'd spoken a grand total of five times in the past year, all the conversations happening when Rose was around, and he was civil enough.

"Let's start the gaaaame!" whines the small girl. The moment Scorpius looks at her, she says, "I'm Lily, by the way."

Just as he is about to sit next to Lily, Rose interrupts, "No no, not there. Go sit next to Lysander."

Confused, he moves to sit next to his friend who, along with Albus, seems to be suppressing laughter.

On being given a questioning look from him, Lysander whispers gleefully, "Later"

Five hours later, Scorpius is happily leaning against the trunk of an ancient tree by the pond close to the Burrow. Lysander is lying on his back on the grassy lands. Rose is swaying on a swing hanging by the tree, sharing her memories about this place; Scorpius learns that this is her favourite spot at the Burrow. All three of them are enjoying the sunset while sipping on their lemonade.

The day so far has been nothing short of brilliant, surpassing his expectations. He won a round of Exploding snap, watched a quick game of backyard quidditch (he was told to watch first by James Potter), had a soul-satisfying lunch (served to him by a very maternal Grandma Weasley, who wasn't content till he'd had at least two helpings of everything), finally culminating in a moment of solace by the pond.

Scorpius is extremely content with the way things happened today; his parents were honestly worried for nothing. Rose had previously invited him for Christmas and he'd politely declined, silently worrying about how his parents would react, given their distrust of those around him. But when he'd met Lysander after the Christmas holidays, who'd filled him in all the shenanigans during the Christmas lunch at the Weasleys, he had boiled with jealousy on the inside, hating himself for not taking a chance to ask his parents.

Looking back, he hates himself even more for not asking and missing what could have been an absolute hoot.

Scorpius decides that every time Rose extends an invitation to come to the Burrow, he would positively ask his parents. There was no going back now.

Their peace is interrupted at the arrival of Felix, who announces that Scorpius's father has arrived to pick him up. Just as surprised as he is to here that only his father is here, he is even more surprised to see Lysander silently laughing again. He shoots him a look, wondering what's wrong. Lysander furtively nods towards Felix who is now talking to Rose.

A blushing, stammering Rose.

_Oh._

Scorpius gets up, feeling highly amused.

"I'll catch you later, Rose," he says, waiting for a moment to see if she'd come with him to say goodbye.

She merely says bye to before turning back to her conversation with Felix, her cheeks blooming red now.

Okay, he might really burst into laughter very soon.

Lysander joins him on his way back to the Burrow, both of them now chuckling at Rose's situation.

"Rose fancies Felix," he says, matter-of-factly, "Albus had gotten the confession out of her earlier this summer. He'd said she'd been acting funny around him for the past couple of months. I mean she made you change seats today during exploding snap just so she could be in his line of view."

As they reach the gates of the Burrow, he and Lysander have recalled every such moment in the past few months where Rose has been weird around Felix (there were 8 such moments), and have concluded that Rose, indeed, fancies Felix.

Just as his mind is ready to concoct a sinister plan to tease her, he spots his father standing right outside the Burrow, in a conversation with Harry Potter. And his father does not look like he wants to hex his former enemy from school. They actually seem to be having a civil conversation.

Open-mouthed, he walks towards his father, trying to recall the last time he'd seen his father make civil talk, voluntarily, with someone other than his family and his customers.

He can't.

"Magpies are expected to close this season with twenty point lead." Scorpius hears his father say.

"I think Puddlemere is catching up pretty well. Wood's been grinding the team for victory since this is his last season," says Harry Potter confidently.

They are discussing Quidditch. His father is discussing Quidditch with someone who isn't family.

The winds have clearly changed.

"Ah Scorpius!" his father calls out. His face looks a lot softer than it did in the morning. He looks more relaxed. "It's time to go home. Had a good time?"

"I had the best time," Scorpius replies happily. He turns to Harry Potter and stammers, "Thank you for the wonderful hospitality, Mr. Potter."

Harry throws him a big grin, "No problem, kid." And then turning to Draco, he says, "Does Scorpius play Quidditch?"

"I do!" replies Scorpius almost immediately.

"Great! There's a family match, next weekend," says Harry, looking at him beadily, "You should come and play. I am assuming you'd be trying out for the team in the coming year. Could be good practice."

Scorpius flushes with pleasure at the idea of coming back to The Burrow again within a week's time. He looks up at his father, desperately praying that he doesn't decline the invitation. His father's already looking back at him in mild amusement.

"That sounds great, really." his father says. He almost wets himself in joy, "We'll drop him off again next weekend."

Scorpius can hear Lysander let out a whoop, clapping him loudly on his back.

Next weekend is Quidditch time - he's never played in a team before!

As he and his father walk back to the apparition point for St. Ottery Catchpole, he quietly wonders how his father suddenly decided to get friendly with Harry Potter. He'd previously been balking at the idea of socialising with 'Potter, Weasel, and Granger', but here he had been talking to Mr. Potter like they regularly catch up over a cup of tea.

As they apparate and appear outside their home, Scorpius realises that maybe he wasn't the only one who was seeking friends.

* * *

" _What do you mean by Lysander won't join us today? Why didn't he tell me that?_ "

Scorpius is at the Burrow right now, seated on Rose's makeshift bed. He is also terrified on learning that Lysander can't make it today because he had to urgently leave to meet his grandfather, who had a rather nasty fall.

"He didn't tell you because he knew you'd chicken out!" says Rose knowingly before turning around to scour through her suitcase.

Scorpius turns pink. He knows it's true.

He's terrified of the Weasley Potter clan. So far only Albus, Lily Potter, and Molly have warmed up to him, even waving at him when he arrived today. James and Fred still look like they are waiting for the right moment to prank him. Then there are Roxanne and Louis, who are to start Hogwarts this year; they become unnaturally silent the moment he's around. Dominique and Lucy are mostly indifferent. Hugo Weasley, already taller than him and Rose, always maintains his distance, observing him silently as he moves around. Scorpius can sense that he is still not welcome by most.

Therefore, it's no surprise that Rose dragged him upstairs to her room where she knew no one would bother them.

There's a knock on the door and Albus Potter's head pops in as soon as the door opens.

"We're heading to the orchard to play quidditch!" he announces, and then looks pointedly at Scorpius, "You ready to join?"

Scorpius almost jumps up in response, but then sits down firmly. He's a little worried. He's not going out alone. He needs Rose by his side

"He'll be there in fifteen," says Rose lightly, who's busy lining her eyes with kohl.

"Alright, come soon. Felix and Alice are also here!"

Rose almost drops the perfume bottle she had just picked up, making Albus snicker as he leaves. Scorpius also disguises his laugh into a cough.

He has planned to tease Rose about her little crush on Felix, and he can't wait to crack his one-liners. He is embarrassed to admit that he'd stayed up last night thinking of the most hoot worthy quips.

Rose doesn't know he knows, and therefore it would be absolutely lovely to see her flare up when the moment arrives.

He is dumbfounded when he sees Rose applying bright red lipstick, but chooses not to say a word. Cosmetics have always baffled him, anyway.

As they walk down to the orchard, he sees how she is constantly petting her hair, adjusting her top. It sinks in that she is very nervous.

Genuinely so.

Scorpius decides that maybe now is not the time to tease her about Felix

As he enters the orchard, he is yet again stunned by the sheer size of the crowd here, just to realize that all of them are related. Nearly seventy percent of them are redheads. He can even spot Professor Longbottom with a woman he presumes is his wife. Scorpius can't deny - it's odd seeing teachers outside school.

Teddy Lupin comes over to greet him, all smiling with electric blue hair and warm brown eyes. Scorpius is happy to finally meet his second cousin and another person who wouldn't want to hate his guts for simply existing.

Soon they are all divided into teams, and Scorpius joins James Potter's team with Albus, Roxanne, Dominique, Fred, and Lily. They face off against the adults with Charlie, Ron, George, Harry, Angelina, Ginny, and Audrey. Teddy Lupin plays the referee's part.

As they rise in the air on their broomsticks and the Quidditch balls are released, Scorpius quietly waves the beater's bat he's holding in the air. It is far lighter than it looks. Till date, he's only considered playing as a Seeker or a Chaser; this is a position he's never considered. He feels an adrenaline rush - this could be a wonderful challenge!

The moment the whistle blows, it's complete pandemonium. People are whizzing past him, the Quaffle is being tossed around, the bludgers are flying around him.

And he's frozen in his spot, feeling terrified. What on earth is he supposed to?

" _Come on, Scorp!_ "

He looks down for a moment to see Rose bouncing on her feet, her big blue eyes wide open in excitement.

Another thing he missed about his friends? He has people who root for him to do better than he already is.

Rose clearly knows he's looking at her because she yells out next, " _Deflect the Bludgers towards Dad!_ "

Scorpius snorts at that because he knows he needs to keep an eye out for the seeker of the opposing team. But given how the rivals (one among whom has played professional Quidditch before) are ruthlessly scoring one goal after the other and defending just aggressively, and the physical advantage Charlie Weasley has over Albus as a Seeker, knocking out the opposite team's keeper might just be the motivation his team needs.

He knows that Ron Weasley will positively kill him with his glare later, but his team might be able to save face. They were already down by fifty points.

So he starts, deflecting the bludgers towards Ron Weasley, trying to get him off the hoops. His own team realizes what he is trying to do and starts being playing more carefully, focusing on getting the Quaffle to the goal post, rather than passing it around, and scoring. Albus switches to tailing Charlie, ready to jump him the moment he starts chasing the snitch.

Scorpius realises that the control over his aim and power of the hits are far superior than what he had assumed. He is able to cleanly deflect opposing Chasers' paths, even crying out "Sorry" when he hits Ron Weasley on the back of his head. But he can't deny the affinity he has towards this role. Maybe, a beater is what he can aim for when he tries out for the team.

An hour and a half later, Albus grabs the snitch from right under Charlie's nose, allowing them to tie with the rivals at two hundred and ten. Scorpius feels the back of his neck burning; he's tanned, muddy, and sweaty. It feels like his arms will fall off.

It's also the most fun he's ever had.

On touching down, Albus claps him loudly on his back, congratulating him on a great game. James Potter begrudgingly admits to a good performance from him. Lily beams at him, even rushing over to give him a hug. His heart is soaring at being appreciated. Almost makes up for the death glares being shot his way by Ron Weasley.

Rose is watching him with a rather amused expression as he comes over.

"I told you so," she says smugly, and he only sticks out his tongue at her in response.

Just then Felix joins them.

"Great game, Malfoy!" he says, grinning, "Was quite inspired, to start attacking the opposing Keeper."

"It was Rose's idea, really. Saved my life up there and helped save the game." Scorpius smirks, delighting in the way her jaw drops when he gives her the credit. It takes barely a nanosecond for her to start blushing again when Felix praises her intelligence.

Albus calls out to him, saying that they are all going swimming in the pond. He takes a quick look at Rose, who is giggling rather funnily at something Felix said.

Guffawing, he bids them goodbye and walks towards the pond.

He can't wait to share this with Lysander.

* * *

After the swim, in the late afternoon, there's the grand lunch at the Burrow, and everybody's being overstuffed with Grandma Molly's tremendous feast. As he eats his ice-cream, Scorpius quietly observes everyone around the room.

Albus seems to be narrating an exaggerated version of how he caught the snitch to Alice Longbottom, who looks enraptured. Ron seems to be soothing the bump on the back of his head with a cloth, Hermione looking at him amusedly as he is talking about something animatedly. Hugo, Lily, Louis, Lucy, and Roxanne seem to be in their own food fight, occasionally receiving glares from Grandma Weasley. Audrey Weasley and Harry Potter seem to be in a deep conversation. Dominique is busy reading a novel in a corner chair. Arthur Weasley is already snoozing in one of the chair, just having done with the late lunch. James, Fred, and Felix are nowhere to be seen. The rest of the people are lounging in the living room.

Then there's Rose seated next to him, happily spooning some ice-cream into her mouth. Mealtimes were the only times when Rose would voluntarily opt-out of her usual chatter, and focus on enjoying the food, a sight that Scorpius finds oddly endearing.

James suddenly burst into the dining room, his cheeks red, and his eyes bugging out.

"Guys - you will not believe -" he gasps out, causing the room to fall silent, "Outside - I just saw Felix and Molly snogging-"

Everyone is suddenly yelling and groaning. Ginny is yelling at her son to stop acting like Ron, while Ron is yelling back that he is not like that. Lily is calling him out for being a tattletale. Lucy looks gleeful. Audrey doesn't know what to do. Neville's suddenly comes up from the living room, looking curious about the drama. Alice looks mortified. Albus, for some reason, is looking back at him. Or rather to the person next to him.

Scorpius feels something bottom out inside him, feeling awful as he turns towards Rose. Her face is suddenly hidden behind the curtain of her hair. But he cannot ignore how she spoons more icecream into her bowl and slinks off among the chaos that surrounds them.

Biting his lip, he spoons some more ice-cream into his bowl and walks away from the table. He knows she might want some more. She's always been a stress eater. He was a witness to it during exam prep few months ago.

He finds her by the swings, her red hair glowing against the early evening orange skyline. She is still looking at the ground when he arrives.

Predictably, her ice cream bowl is empty.

"Want some of mine? I have extra," he says awkwardly when she doesn't look up.

"Thanks," he hears Rose's strained voice, but she doesn't make an effort to move or ask for his bowl.

"Felix is an idiot," he says uncertainly, not sure of how to approach the topic.

Rose, surprisingly, snorts.

"He's a lovely person," she says, finally looking up at him. Scorpius holds back a comment about her crying face. On any other day, he would have loved to have a go at it. But not today.

Today, she needed a friend - the caring one. And he'd promised himself that he'd be a good friend. It was goal number one.

"Okay if you say so. I still think he's an idiot for snogging Molly and not you," he says. He hands her his handkerchief.

"Hey! Molly's nice." she retorts, taking his handkerchief from him.

As she blows into it, he says immediately, "Keep it. It's yours now."

"Thanks," she says, shooting him a watery smile and then proceeding to look ahead at the shimmery pond, now glowing bright orange.

"How did you find out?" she asks him after a while, her voice tense.

Scorpius feels uncomfortable. He can't say Lysander; wouldn't look right. But then -

"You weren't subtle," he shrugs. Rose looks alarmed at this.

"Do you think he noticed?" she asks, her voice panicking.

"I highly doubt that. Boys can be very dumb, refusing to realise what's in front of them. We don't even know what's Felix and Molly's story. Maybe they told each other now that they liked each other. Maybe they'd already been dating."

Rose stared at him. He could see the cogwheels moving in her head.

"I hate this colour of lipstick, you know," she says after a long pause, now reaching out for his bowl of ice-cream, which had melted but that didn't seem to bother her, "What's left of it anyway." she wipes away the lipstick angrily.

"Okay? So why did you wear it?" he asks confused.

"Because I thought maybe I'd look older and prettier and he'd take notice of me! I thought he liked that colour!"

Scorpius raises his eyebrows. "Did you feel prettier?"

"No!" she replies almost immediately, before finishing up the last of the ice-cream, "I feel so stupid! Tried being prettier for a boy and I didn't even like it. Ugh."

"Want some unsolicited advice?"

She snorts immediately, looking at him incredulously. "Will saying no stop you?"

"With you, absolutely not," he grins widely, happy to see her eyes crinkling in amusement again, a dimple appearing in her round cheeks, "Try being happy. I think you look the prettiest when you're happy."

Rose's eyes widen for a moment before her cheeks flush red and she shoots him an embarrassed smile.

"You're taking the mickey!" she exclaims, hitting him lightly on his arm, "How -"

"You do. Trust me, I'm a boy. And don't let anyone decide what makes you happy, alright? Wear whatever the hell you want and whatever makes you feel better. If the guy you're trying to impress likes it, that's just a bonus, not an end goal. In the end, if you're not happy with what you did, then what's the point?"

She stares at him again. "Can't believe you're making sense, Malfoy."

He scowls, a tinge annoyed, "I always make sense," he retorts, drawing himself to his full height. "Besides, I am a Ravenclaw. It's in my blood."

Rose rolls her eyes and says that they should head inside before Grandma Molly starts looking for her icecream bowls.

He curses inwardly when she stands right in front of him, realising that she was still notably taller than him.

It was hilarious as well as annoying to him that they were competing on height as well. Many times during the year, she'd randomly stand next to him, just to confirm that he was still shorter than her and he'd promise her that one day he'd be towering over her, to which she'd say she had her father's genes so she'll definitely outgrow him. Lysander often broke those arguments by stating he was still the tallest so they should shut up.

But she doesn't bring up her height right now; instead, she shoots him a bright smile, making him grin.

They walk back to The Burrow, with Scorpius finally cracking all those quips about her crush on Felix; it has her cracking up and making her roll her eyes.

It felt so good to let those one-liners out! He'd been holding it in for a while now.

As they reach the rickety gate, Rose suddenly catches hold of his arm.

"What?" he asks in alarm, turning to look at her.

She digs into the pocket of her skirt and pulls out a Mars bar mini. To give to him.

He's dumbfounded. He gapes at her stretched hand, trying to comprehend what this means. She's never, _ever_ , given him her chocolates.

"Thank you," she whispers, before leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.

Scorpius feels his face burn at the affection. This was the first time someone other than his family had kissed him on the cheek.

He doesn't hate the feeling, truthfully. It's sweet.

He quietly takes the chocolate from her hand, unwraps it, and pops it in his mouth, trying to subdue the blush.

He watches as Rose opens the gate and walks into The Burrow, crossing a stunned looking Albus, who had probably seen them.

Scorpius surmises that it's not that hard to be nice to someone, least of all, to be a good friend.

As the chocolate melts in his mouth, the taste overwhelming his senses, reminding him of Rose's kind smile, he knows that being a good friend is absolutely worth it.


	3. One of TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the reviews, follows, and kudos! You guys are like sunshine for me :)

**Disclaimer:** Everything belongs to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

_TWO: I will make it to the Quidditch Team_

* * *

Scorpius feels like he's going to throw up. And he hasn't even had his breakfast yet.

The toast and fried egg on his plate smell heavenly. On any other day, he would have devoured it.

But today? He's barely able to gulp down the pumpkin juice in his goblet.

"Morning!" comes Rose Weasley's chirpy voice. He grunts in response.

"What's gotten your wand into a knot?" he hears her ask in surprise.

"He's nervous about the tryouts today," comes Lysander's voice from next to him, who's far too relaxed for Scorpius's liking. How was being _this_ relaxed before Quidditch tryouts even possible?

"Aww come on, Scorpius. Really? You know you'll be great today," says Rose as she sits right opposite them on the Ravenclaw table, "You both really practiced hard over the summer and even after school resumed. You've really improved your catching skills. Your aim, of course, is impeccable. And as for the-"

Rose had definitely become more complimentary ever since the second year started. She is almost always really nice to him. It's very confusing for him. If it weren't for the heated arguments they exchanged while doing assignments, disputing on the finer properties of wormwood or medical applications of the freezing charm, he'd assume she was an imposter.

Scorpius hears the sound of the Ravenclaw captain Christine Li at their table. He grips the fork and knife by his plate tightly.

"Hey!" Rose reaches out to squeeze his hands. His eyes spring up to catch hers; the way she's looking at him makes him feel like he's being ridiculous.

He should get through, right? He was pretty talented after all. Talented enough to not have his name be an issue.

"You'll be fine, Scorp," says Lysander, clapping him on his back as he gets up, "Let's fly some laps, yeah? Might help calm some nerves."

Seriously, Lysander's ability to stay calm under pressure was impeccable.

Scorpius picks up a piece of toast and lugs his broom over his shoulder; Firebolt Zoom, one of the latest launches from the Firebolt brand was a preferred choice for Seekers and Chasers, and a perfect fit for his lithe frame.

"I'll join you guys soon. All the best!" calls out Rose as they stand up. The boys simply wave at her in response and leave. They know better than asking her to shorten her meal break and join them at the earliest.

Lysander was right. Scorpius indeed feels better once they've completed two full laps of the pitch.

Scorpius decides that taking laps of the pitch will be his go-to stressbuster, something he can rely on when the going gets tough.

Fifteen minutes later, he sees people milling onto the Quidditch Pitch and feels jittery all over again.

When he touches down, there are about twenty-five people ready for tryouts, all looking more athletic than he does. He can spot Steve, Nikhil, Eleanor, and Jilian; they choose to ignore him and Lysander as usual.

His fellow Ravenclaws rarely acknowledge him. But they don't say mean things to him either, at least to his face. So Scorpius supposes that it is an improvement over the last year; then, they did not hesitate in commenting (often) on his father's unfortunate adventure with Voldemort.

Scorpius looks around in the stadium to see who all were here to see the tryouts. He can easily spot Rose's vibrant head in the stands. The dark-haired person next to her was definitely Albus Potter, given how they were pretty much joined at the hip during weekends. He'd recently gotten selected as the Gryffindor Seeker. It wasn't unusual for rival teams to come to watch the trials. He looks around more and spots Gracie Jones looking at them curiously. She too had made it as a beater on the Hufflepuff team. Hopefully, he'd be facing her in Ravenclaw's first match of the season.

"Malfoy!"

Scorpius eyes snap back to the ground where Christine was looking at him.

"What are you trying out for?" she asks him. Next to her, Daniel Hardy, the team's seventh-year beater, is looking at him suspiciously.

"Chaser and Beater," he responds, his voice wavering. Daniel raises his eyebrows at his response.

Scorpius holds his stare. They would be partners. He cannot cower down.

"Right, off to group number five."

Lysander whispers into his ear, "Remember, fumble doesn't mean crumble or tumble. You can do this."

Scorpius laughs as he walks away to his group. He won't give up.

* * *

Scorpius is exhausted by the end of the trials, the afternoon sun blazing down his neck.

Since he was trying out for two roles, he had to go through eight rounds when he did laps, braking, Quaffle passes, throws, bludger aims, and reverse hits. He knows he could have done better as a chaser; he could have definitely scored more goals during the pass-and-score round.

But he has very high hopes to make it as a beater; he _knew_ he was good today. His aims were precise and the hits were powerful. He'd gotten Nikhil and Jilian to drop the quaffle, and had saved Eleanor from crashing into the stands.

He noted Christine bearing an impressed expression on her face as he flew around during his trials. Not many had elicited that look on her face.

He touches down to spot Lysander grinning at him. Lysander himself had absolutely killed it in his keeper tryouts; he had blocked the highest number of goals. Not only did his long frame allow him to catch quaffles neatly, but his agility on the broom added to his response time as a keeper, something he and Scorpius had worked on when the term started.

Christine announces that the results would be announced on the notice board by tonight. Excited, he walks back to the Ravenclaw stands with Lysander to where Rose and Albus were sitting.

"Quite impressive stuff, boys!" says Albus when they are within earshot. "Gryffindor will crush you, but still good."

"Quite brave on your part to announce that when you're sitting in the Ravenclaw stands," says Rose, rolling her eyes, "Or maybe just stupid."

"Just watch me knock you off your broom, Potter," smirks Scorpius. He may be tired, but he isn't going to take any shit.

It would be quite fun, wouldn't it? He and Albus competing against each other, Lysander blocking goal attempts from James.

Just imagining it makes him _so_ happy.

He feels that he's been killing it at his goal number seven so far - that to be happy.

Year one was fantastic, year two is already looking up.

He is going to crush all the goals listed on his list of seven. He just knows it.

"I'm famished," announces Rose, her eyes bugging out, "We have been out here all afternoon! Let's go to the kitchens, please!"

Just as they get down from the stands and walk towards the school, they run into Gracie and Alice, who were also heading back to the castle.

Scorpius feels his mouth dry up as Gracie stops right in front of them, her curls hypnotising him. He'd never been that close to her. She's even prettier on a closer look.

"Out for a recce?" asks Albus pleasantly. Scorpius shoots him a suspicious look. How was he so nice and friendly with her?

"Of course," replies Gracie, flashing them a grin, "Already know who's going to get through and how we are going to beat them."

"Wait a minute," says Lysander, moving forward, "Just because we finished last the previous year doesn't mean everyone gets to diss our team and - "

"That's exactly how trash talk works," interrupts Albus, quirking his eyebrow.

Scorpius holds his breath as he watches Gracie's eyes skim over Lysander and then stop at him.

"You did well, Malfoy," she says, "You're pretty much a shoo-in for the team. You need to work a little more on your backbeat though."

A furious blush erupts on the top of his cheeks and seems to spread everywhere. He feels like his face is too hot at the moment.

She complimented him. Gracie Jones complimented him. Why does he feel like dancing? Why is he floating in the air?

Wait, he isn't, right? Okay, he isn't.

Oh wait, he needs to respond to her question as well. But how will he do it, given how tongue-tied he feels all of a sudden?

Scorpius decides he's being an idiot. He needs to respond soon before his opportunity to speak to her goes away.

He ends up letting out a strangled noise that has everyone gaping at him.

"Thanks," he says gruffly after clearing his throat, all the while trying to suppress the heat in his face at the moment. Gracie, looking confused, nods at him and walks away with Alice.

Lysander looks like Christmas has come early. Rose is frowning at him, seemingly confused about his incoherence (which was extremely rare). Albus is already distracted at the sight of his team coming down to practice.

"Shit!" he curses, facepalming himself, "Forgot Mary had booked the pitch at three for practice. I'll see you guys later." and he rushes off.

They reach the Hogwarts kitchen and Rose moves forward to tickle the pear in the portrait acting at the door to the kitchen. Scorpius is momentarily distracted at the sound of a familiar giggle. He spots Gracie and Alice at the end of the corridor before they move forward and disappear when they turn right, presumably to their common room.

Scorpius barely notices Lysander tapping him on his shoulder. "So Gracie, huh?"

"Hmm?" he replies absentmindedly and then looks at Lysander, whose amusement seems to grow, "What?"

His friend only chuckles in response.

"Doesn't look like Rose is the only one who has an itsy bitsy crush on someone," Lysander shoots him a wink before walking inside the kitchen.

Scorpius gapes at his disappearing frame, stunned at his words

He didn't have a crush on Gracie, no sir. Gracie was just a really pretty girl and his heart, somehow, couldn't control itself around her. He just couldn't think straight around her, often feeling tongue-tied and feeling as if he'd swallowed live snakes.

That doesn't mean he has a thing for her.

Does it?

He knows the answer to that, the way his heart flutters when he imagines her in his head.

Well, _shit_.

The realisation hits him like a bludger to the back of his head. His fingers and his ear tips suddenly feel too sensitive and tingly.

He hates Lysander for bringing this up. He hates himself for not realising this earlier.

The evening comes and Lysander is still waggling his eyebrows at him, only to finally stop when Scorpius tells him (or rather, admits to him) that _fine_ , maybe he finds Gracie really attractive, and that he struggles to speak around her, and that, yes, he does have a tiny bit of a crush on her, and yes, he needs to shut up about the teasing because he's not ready for more people to know about this.

Rose was already looking at them with narrowed eyes and Scorpius knew she'd figure it out if she got a single clue. She was crazy smart and he wasn't ready for the teasing, yet. He'd tell her when he's ready.

They are working on their homework in the Ravenclaw common room when they hear a commotion; people are rushing towards the notice board.

Scorpius's heart jumps into his throat when he realises most of the people at the notice board were people who'd tried out today for the team.

Looks like the team result is out.

He spots Nikhil let out a loud whoop, his dark eyes shining in excitement. He'd tried out as a chaser and clearly got through. He looks over at them, "Congratulations Scamander!"

Rose turns to Lysander, her jaw wide open in delight. "You made it to the team?! That's brilliant!"

Lysander blinks in response, taken aback at what was happening. He springs up from his seat, his face gleaming in happiness.

"Come on! Let's go and check the results," he says. Scorpius can sense the excitement emanating from his body.

But a sense of foreboding keeps him glued to his seat. Nikhil had only congratulated Lysander, didn't he?

At the same time, Nikhil barely ever acknowledged his presence, so maybe he wouldn't ever congratulate him willingly.

Scorpius gets up and walks towards the board. Screw the fear!

He pushes into the crowd to move closer to the notice board. He reads the list.

_Seeker (Captain) - Christine Li_

_Chasers - Ariana Ludwig, Nikhil Finch-Fletchley, Justin Alvarez_

_Beaters - Daniel Hardy, Olivia Brown_

_Keeper - Lysander Scamander_

He feels a lump in his throat that's growing exponentially by the second.

He really thought he'd gotten in. He'd played his best game today.

And yet, he hadn't made it to the team.

It was his name, wasn't it? There was no way he was rejected because he was lacking in skill.

Disappointment crushes the joy and exhilaration he'd felt after the tryouts. He feels the sadness prick his eyes.

He can feel Lysander's gaze weighing on him. "Scorp-"

"Congratulations," he says, looking up at his friend and trying to smile. He was happy for him, he really was.

But unfortunately, he was more miserable about not getting through to the team.

He flinches when he hears Christine call for a team meeting at eight.

He should have been among them.

Lysander looks unsure of how to speak to him, his hands hanging awkwardly by his side.

"Go on. I'll catch you after the meeting." Scorpius doesn't even recognise the voice coming out of his own mouth. It sounds so foreign.

Lysander shoots him an uncertain smile. "Thanks. I'll see you in a bit."

Scorpius trods back to his seat where he was working on his assignment. He can feel Rose's eyes on him.

"I'm sorry, Scorp," he hears her say when he sits down. Something flares in annoyance within him.

"I don't need your sympathies," he says, a little more harshly than intended. What would she know?

"Gee, it wasn't that, and you know it." she snaps back.

Guilt pinches him from the inside. He knows she meant well. They were friends after all. Gone were the times of the mean barbs. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

He notes how Rose's expression softens and then she suddenly changes her stance.

"Have you received your scores on the Moondew essay? I scored a ninety-nine on it. Can you believe _that_? Absolutely preposterous. I'm picking a bone with Urquhart on Monday."

Scorpius feels his lips lift up. "I scored a hundred."

Predictably, Rose's nose flares up. One of the best parts of annoying her is how her ridiculously shiny button nose turns red when she's mad. She thinks she looks like a clown. He agrees with her (while acknowledging that she looks adorable, but she doesn't need to know that).

"Okay! That's it!" she exclaims, her face scrunching in anger, "This is absolute favoritism!"

As she proceeds to explain how she thinks he is clearly bewitching his professors somehow to grade him better, he relaxes a little. He knows that she is trying to distract him from the blow he felt on receiving the Quidditch results (something just tells him that she knew about his scores), and he's grateful to her.

But he knows it won't be that easy for him to ignore what was clearly his first failure at achieving one of his goals.

There was a saying that one should shoot for the moon so that they could at least land among the stars.

He simply crashed back into the grounds, right where he started.

* * *

As days pass, Scorpius realises that being a good friend is not as easy as he thought it would be, least of all when his friend is out there living the life he thought he'd enjoy as well.

Scorpius can sense that his friendship with Lysander becomes strained the moment Quidditch comes into the picture. Lysander is not as open during conversations, especially holding back about his quidditch experience. He awkwardly deflects the conversations by saying 'it's alright' or the like.

A part of him knows that he is trying to spare him the hurt that they happily glided over ever since the Quidditch results came out, but that (secretly) seems to frustrate him more.

So as the Quidditch practices become more intense and frequent, Scorpius becomes more short-tempered and moody, choosing to stay alone, telling Lysander that he's busy with his potions research, sometimes even holed up in the library to curtail snapping at Rose. Some of their recent arguments had become a little more intense, and he was tired of fighting with her.

They attend the season opener between Gryffindor and Slytherin together, but there is some unspoken friction between the three. It soothes Scorpius' soul when Gryffindor demolishes Slytherin with a score of three hundred and forty to seventy. Albus was spectacular as the Seeker. Scorpius even takes a moment after the match to congratulate him in the Gryffindor locker room.

"Thanks!" Albus grins at him widely, "So you're coming for the party, right? It'll begin in another half an hour. James and Fred have a tendency to make it rather nasty. If we're in luck, James will do something really stupid. It'll be fun."

Scorpius hesitates, stealing a furtive look at Lysander and Rose who was speaking to an excited looking James.

"I have a bit of work to complete," he says. He's honestly conflicted, whether to go or not to go. He knows he'll become moody and sore that he won't get to enjoy these victories as a Quidditch player. But he _really_ wants to attend a Gryffindor party. They were known to be among the best ones thrown at Hogwarts. But then things were a bit icy with Lysander and Rose. "Maybe the next one?"

Albus nods at him, and he walks off, heading off to the library for much-needed solace. The place would be mostly empty anyway.

Which is why he is nothing short of stunned when fifteen minutes into reading Hogwarts a History in a secluded corner, he's ambushed by an irate looking Rose Weasley.

"I am done with your moping and crying," she announces. She looks genuinely mad; he can't ignore how red her ears look as well.

"I am neither moping nor crying," he replies tonelessly, turning back to his book.

" _Boo-hoo for Scorpius, because he didn't get into a Quidditch team!_ " she says scathingly. She has her hands on her hips and her eyes are flashing dangerously at him. He is immediately reminded of his mother, chastising his father for trying to be aloof and not go out with her to parties and yet bemoan about his non-existent social life.

Scorpius thought Rose, of all people, wouldn't be the one reminding him of his failure, and yet here they were. He starts counting backward from a hundred. It had helped him calm down and back down from many fights he was younger.

Hundred. Ninety-nine. Ninety-eight -

_"Can't believe you're still sulking about the rejection. You can always try next year-"_

Ninety-two. Ninety-one. Ninety -

_"You don't get a free pass for being a horrible friend just because you didn't make it to the quidditch team!"_

His hands curl into a fist and he grits his teeth.

Eighty-five. Eighty-four. Eighty-three -

" _Lysander is shitting bricks because you are not speaking to him and that's hampering his confidence. He had such a terrible practice yesterday-"_

Scorpius pauses his counting, frowning at her. Lysander not being confident? That's like saying Hermione Granger is not intelligent.

_"He's miserable that he can't talk to you freely without worrying about hurting you. He misses you. And I am mad at him because he chooses to waste my time by harping on these things again and again when it should be you he should be telling these things to-"_  
  
The old librarian, Madam Pince, who is crossing them at this point, shushes them loudly.

Rose glares at her retreating back. The distraction seems to have disrupted her rant.

They stare at each other for a minute. Scorpius notices how her face is slowly reverting to her normal colour. He can sense the cogwheels moving in her head, as if trying to look for the right words.

"You literally have five more attempts to make it to the team," she finally says, thankfully calmer than before, "You shouldn't have to worry about so much about this."

His eyes twitch. "What if I was rejected because of my name?"

Rose immediately scoffs in response, "That's impossible! Christine is a fair person, highly unlikely to hold any grudges. For her, her team is a priority."

The alternate theory for his rejection terrifies him to the core. "What if I didn't make it because I wasn't good enough? What if I overestimated my abilities? What if this is the best I can do, and it's not good enough?"

He can feel that fear within him blooming again. The one that caused his throat to seize up, where he is crying out for help, but no one can hear him. And he is falling into depths without any end in sight.

Rose is quiet again. He silently begs her to say something, anything, that can help him come out of the growing well of despair.

Her eyes thankfully light up. She leans forward. "Maybe ask Christine about it? About why Olivia was chosen over you? Isn't feedback the only way to know where you're going wrong?"

Well-

When Rose said it like that, it sounded like it was the most obvious thing to.

In retrospect, it was the most obvious thing to do.

While he feels his feet are on solid ground again, the closing walls of despair gone, he feels like an utter idiot. A rare feeling for him, but Merlin's balls - _why the hell didn't he just ask?!_

This was humiliating. He'd spoiled these weeks for himself, Lysander, and Rose for nothing.

He needed to apologise to Lysander. At the earliest.

"Yeah. I should ask Christine," he says, now flushing furiously, waiting for the ground to crack open and eat him up.

He is mortified to the highest degree. All he needed to do was ask. And he'd prided himself on his curiosity to know things.

So much for calling himself a proud Ravenclaw.

He finally makes eye contact with Rose, who is looking at him as if she was waiting for something.

Yes, he owed her an apology as well. Big time.

"I'm sorry," he says shiftily, hoping that she'd forgive him and then they could move on to their friendly banter that often made his day.

"Apology accepted," she beams, springing up from her seat.

Scorpius blinks - now that was fast!

She gives him a knowing look, her feet tapping against the stone floor impatiently. "There's someone else you need to apologise to. And he's at a party you definitely wanted to be at. Now come on!"

Half an hour later, he's in the Gryffindor common room, and he sees red and gold everywhere. The room is crowded. The music is loud, there are some people dancing in the middle of the common room, there's a drinking competition in the crowd, people are stuffing themselves with cake. James Potter, for some reason, is being tossed around between groups of people. He can even spot Gracie and Alice in the corner, talking to Fred Weasley.

The place is utter chaos.

"Lysander's over there!" Rose says from next to him, pointing out Lysander's blonde head towering over the crowd.

Scorpius feels his palms sweating. How on earth did he manage to be such a horrible friend?

"Excuse me, please!"

Scorpius starts at the sound of Christine right behind him. He turns to see her carrying a bottle of butterbeer and waiting for him to move aside so that she could pass.

"I need to go that side," she says, nodding towards someone behind him.

"Right," says Scorpius uncomfortably, trying to move to the side. "Also, why wasn't I selected for the team?"

The question slips out before he even realises that he'd asked her something. Rose, who was next to him, has already moved away and is giving him a thumbs-up, giving them the privacy they need.

Christine is looking down at him, surprised at the suddenness of the question. " _What?_ "

"I want to know why I wasn't chosen for the team. I know you were impressed with my tryout."

She sighs, "You really want to know? Like right now?"

"Yes!" he says passionately. She should know how much Quidditch means to him. She would most likely be the captain next year as well. He needs to know what he did wrong; he couldn't afford to make those mistakes. "I know I did well, but I need to know what was lacking so that I can make up for in next year's trial."

"Right," she nods slowly. "You did do well. Probably had the best individual game as a beater."

Something sinks within him. It wasn't about his skills. He was rejected because -

"You had poor team skills."

He gapes at her in shock. This was absolutely unexpected. He splutters, " _What? That's-!_ "

"Remember how you barely passed to your teammates during one of the rounds for shortlisting chasers? You were more focused on scoring goals and impressing me when the objective of that particular round was clearly to clear passes to the teammates and then attempt to score. You can't say that there weren't opportunities because Ariana did ensure you had gaps where you could pass, and yet you didn't."

He's feeling rather uncomfortable as he hears these words. But at the same time, something within him is unfurling. Like his clouded mind is finally becoming clearer. He had been hell-bent on impressing Christine with his Quidditch skills but completely forgot the dynamic that governed any sport: teamwork.

"But as a beater-" he starts again, trying to understand why he wasn't selected as a beater at least. But Christine beat him to it.

"Believe it or not, Malfoy, but even being a beater requires being a team player first," she says, looking at him sternly, "I wasn't convinced about your ability to play in a team. As far as first impressions go, that's a major red flag for me and will remain so till I see anything that changes my mind. As a captain, I lead a team of people who play together to win, not just a random bunch of talented fools. You get where I am going with this?"

Scorpius exhales deeply and nods. As far as the concept of feedback went, this was a whole lot of different than he'd imagined.

"So maybe work on that this year? Nothing can stop you from getting through next year if you work on your ability to play in a team," she gives him a small smile.

"So my name is not a problem?" he asks, feeling sheepish, causing her to chuckle.

"You're an alright kid, Malfoy. I am not going to hold you to what your ancestors did," she says, quirking her eyebrow. Scorpius almost beams, his insides blooming in happiness. This means so much to him, more than what Christine would ever realise.

"Thanks," he says, finally feeling a true smile breaking on his face after possibly _weeks_. She nods at him and walks away.

As he turns away, he struggles to keep the smile at bay. He feels far lighter than he had been for a while. It finally made sense. It _all_ finally made sense.

Scorpius spots Lysander looking over at him in curiosity, his eyebrows furrowed.

He had been a rather poor team player, hadn't he? Not just on the field but _off_ the field as well.

He should have been there for his friend, celebrate his friend's achievement, and listen to exciting stories about Quidditch practices. Instead, he chose to sulk around like a complete nincompoop.

Feeling extremely annoyed with himself, he walks towards Lysander who looks part worried, part scared. Rose and Albus, who were with Lysander, are watching the whole scene.

"I'm sorry for being such an arse," says Scorpius cautiously the moment he reaches them. Lysander's eyebrows rise into his hairline, "I shouldn't have been such a sore loser. I'm sorry for taking out my frustration on you. I was a terrible friend. My behavior wasn't fair to you-"

"Or me!" pipes in Rose, peeking from behind Lysander.

"I've already apologised to you, so shush!" he exclaims, annoyed at her interruption.

"You shush instead!" comes the mature retort.

Shaking his head, he turns back to Lysander, "So yeah. I hope we can move on from on this." he finishes.

Lysander stares at him for a moment, before his face breaks into a huge grin. "We're alright," he says, clapping him on his back and wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

Scorpius can hear Rose say, "All thanks to me!" and Albus make cooing noises, but he couldn't be bothered. He was honestly so happy right now! Things will be alright between him and Lysander.

Speaking of, Lysander doesn't miss a beat when he leans down and whispers, "Hope you didn't drool on your way here. Gracie looks quite pretty today."

Scorpius snorts, elbowing him in response, trying to hide the blush now making its way to his cheeks. His eyes scan the crowd and he spots Gracie talking to whom he assumed was a Gryffindor third year. He feels a twinge of annoyance at not being confident while speaking to her. Maybe one day, he will be.

Before Scorpius knows it, he's playing a wild game of exploding snap (some people look cautious while involving him, others mostly don't care), he's dancing with the crowd (Rose and Lysander seem to be really good at this Irish jig he struggles with and he hopes Gracie didn't notice it), and he's seated at one of the chairs by the fire corner, discussing Quidditch tactics from the game today fervently with Lysander (Rose had left earlier for her dorm, saying that she was exhausted).

Scorpius decides that this is one of the best parties he's ever been to. And he can't wait for more

By the time he and Lysander come back to their empty dorm, it's six in the evening.

"Shoot. We have practice! Nikhil must have already left." murmurs Lysander furiously, now rushing towards his bed to pull out his broom from his trunk. But then he freezes and looks at Scorpius, a conflict on his face.

Scorpius waits for the pain, the irritation to engulf him. Nothing happens. He had finally accepted reality.

"Have fun!" he responds, now smiling widely, relieved at not having those negative emotions again.

"Will do," grins Lysander, now picking up his broom, "We're on for practice tomorrow morning though, right?"

"Oh absolutely!"

Scorpius watches Lysander leave, a satisfied grin plastered on his face. He goes to his bed, thinking of whether he'd be able to sneak in a quick nap before dinner. As he pulls his curtains apart, he is surprised at the sight of a lone Mars Bar mini on his bed, resting atop a small piece of folded parchment.

Was Rose here at some point?

Curious, he picks up the parchment and unfolds it to read it.

_I think you're also the prettiest when you're happy._

_PS: You'll kill it at Quidditch one day. Just don't give up._

Scorpius can't help but chuckle. Trust Rose Weasley to turn his words on him.

As he unwraps the chocolate and tucks himself in his bed, he quietly takes out his list of seven and stares at his goal number two.

He may have hit a temporary roadblock, but now he knows what went wrong.

And it's something he can fix.

It's only a matter of time before he makes it to the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. And hopefully, more would see that he's just a boy not so much unlike them, who enjoys playing Quidditch, loves Potions classes, and adores his friends.

That's all he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Ickle Scorpius is facing more of the world as he grows up! Excited about the next few chapters.
> 
> Writing Rose/Scorpius interactions make my day! Had fun writing this one.
> 
> The next update should come by next weekend. Want to maintain a consistent weekly update schedule for this!
> 
> Please review and make my day:)


	4. Two of TWO

**Disclaimer:** Everything recognisable belongs to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

_TWO: I will make it to the Quidditch Team._

_(and win the Quidditch Cup)_

* * *

Scorpius dreams of a dimly lit, narrow corridor with high ceilings. He dreams of mahogany double doors, imposing in their tall frames. He's walking past them, one door after the other, trying to figure out the right room. And that's when he finds that elusive door, the one he'd been looking for. He remembers the grandeur of the room behind the door; he can feel the sense of familiarity blooming within him. He should go into that room.

He reaches out to open the door and enters the room to spot a beautiful study with a roaring fire, the most comfortable looking chairs, and an elaborate bookcase with curtains. Just when he is busy admiring the view, he hears the door lock behind him. Immediately, the lights go off.

He's suddenly panicking, terrified of the darkness around him. He reaches out blindly and moves his feet inch by inch, desperately trying to feel for something, anything in this black abyss. He finally catches the door handle in the dark and frantically tries to open it. The door doesn't budge at all so he yells out for help. He can feel the darkness closing in on him - he's now struggling to breathe -

And his eyes snap open to see the ceiling of the Hospital Wing.

Scorpius realises he's sweating profusely, the back of his neck plastered to the pillow sheets.

Why was this dream resurfacing again? This dream (or rather, an unfortunate incident from childhood) often occurred during times of great distress. It had been a while -

He winces loudly as he senses a throbbing in the back of the head, which just seems to become more intense with each passing second.

"Madam Pomfrey, he's up!" he hears Lysander's voice from the foot of his bed.

Scorpius becomes more aware of his surroundings now. The Hospital Wing windows show that it's dark outside, probably night. He looks down. He is still wearing his Ravenclaw Quidditch robes.

And it all comes crashing back to him.

He'd been hit with the bludger during their season opener against Hufflepuff. Right in the back of his head.

He cringes. What a way to start his Quidditch journey.

Third-year had begun on a chaotic note, with three new additional subjects (Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy), a crazier timetable, and of course, Quidditch practice.

Christine hadn't been lying when she told him he'd be a shoo-in for the team if he worked more on his team playing skills. He did; during the tryouts, he focused more on how he could help his chasers on his team score better, help Lysander defend better. Without the added pressure of impressing Christine, he'd done well and, hence, had been appointed as the second beater of the team.

Absolutely thrilled about making it to the team early on at Hogwarts, he thought he'd achieved his second goal. But he noted that making it to the Quidditch team barely improved things for him on the popularity front. Nikhil surely interacted with him civilly during practice, but rarely acknowledged him outside of it. He'd even overheard a snide comment from Steve, wondering if having Scorpius on the team would bring bad luck, given that his family literally meant bad faith.

So he'd focused solely on practicing and improving his game, deciding that he'd prove his naysayers wrong by performing well in his opening match. With dreams in his eyes and steely nerves, he'd stepped onto the Quidditch Pitch in his brand new Quidditch robes, ready to take flight and make people fall in love with him by the end of the game.

As he rose in the air and waited for the balls to be released, he'd spotted Gracie right opposite him across the field. She'd noted him looking at her and had then shot him a wink, at which he'd found himself blushing like an absolute idiot. Lysander had flown to him at that unfortunate instant and hissed, "If we lose this game because of this girl, I'll kill you."

When the game began, everything had been pretty much a haze. Hufflepuff was a solid match for Ravenclaw this time, with everyone at even footing. The Chasers from either team were fiery on the field. Lysander's face had turned bright red as he lunged left, right, and centre to save the goals. Scorpius too had huffed as he'd hit the bludger away from his teammates and towards the Hufflepuff players. He'd just flicked one bludger heading towards Lysander away when he'd been hit with the other one in the back of his head.

Everything since then had been a blank.

Madam Pomfrey arrives and huffs over him, muttering furiously about the perils of Quidditch.

"What happened at the game?" asks Scorpius gruffly.

Lysander grimaces, "We lost. Final score was two hundred and twenty to one hundred and sixty."

Scorpius's mood sinks.

His first Quidditch game and they lost.

Crushing disappointment overwhelms him, making him dip further into his bed.

Why couldn't he have been more aware?! It was his job to hit the bludgers, wasn't it? Maybe he could have helped defend-

"Hope you don't go around blaming yourself for this," says Lysander, looking at him knowingly, "It was Hufflepuff's game from the start - They were simply better."

Scorpius scowls, the bitterness of the defeat finally sinking in. Ravenclaw had finished third last year. And now they'd already lost the opening match.

He hates his life right now.

He looks around the hospital wing and notes the conspicuous absence of the usually omnipresent redhead.

"Where's Rose?" he asks.

Lysander snorts, "She left five minutes ago. Had to literally force her to go back to her dorm to get some rest. She'd been by your side since they brought you here. Let's say, 'she panicked' would be an understatement for how she behaved after."

Scorpius raises his eyebrows. Rose had a tendency to go overboard with her reactions, but this was also too much. "It was just a Quidditch injury!"

"Yeah well," shrugs Lysander, "She'd gone into full-blown hysterics because you weren't waking up-"

"Such a lunatic." He shakes his head in amusement because but she _is_ a lunatic. But he is also highly grateful for her concern - not too many people would be bothered about him. His mother, though, is going to absolutely flip when she hears about this injury. He probably shouldn't tell her - won't be wise.

"Also, Gracie had dropped by to check up on you-

Scorpius sits upright so fast that Lysander starts roaring with laughter.

" _You-lovestruck-puppy!_ " Lysander gasps between laughs, his eyes now tearing up.

Feeling himself flush in embarrassment, Scorpius hisses, "Did she actually come here or are you just taking the mickey?"

When the laughs die down, Lysander looks at him amusedly, "Yeah she did. She'd hit the bludger towards you. Had asked if you were alright and hoped it wasn't a serious injury."

The silly grin that makes its way to his face refuses to die down, prompting Lysander to burst into another fit of laughter.

Gracie Jones had come to see him at The Hospital Wing.

The throbbing at the back of his head softens just a little.

* * *

Scorpius is discharged the next day after the final checkups and joins Rose and Lysander for breakfast. He notes the whispers and the stares thrown his way as he walks towards his friends; they were not kind.

As he slides into the seat opposite Rose, she asks him, "Head still feeling tender?"

"A bit," he answers truthfully, and then looks at the food, "I'm famished-"

They are interrupted almost immediately by Steve, who was sitting at a distance with his friends, "Hey Malfoy! Planning to get clocked again for the rest of the matches? Let me know, I'll speak to Christine about giving me another shot at being a beater." Alex is chuckling behind him.

Before Scorpius can even react, Rose jumps in.

"You knocked yourself out with your own bat during the tryouts, you arse!" she snaps, glaring at him. Lysander's mouth is tight-lined as he stares at his fellow Ravenclaws. "You really think you can play better in an actual game?"

"That was an accident!" exclaims Steve, bright red splotches on his cheeks, "I can prove-,"

"Save your breath, McDonald!" says Lysander, looking highly annoyed, "It's better to let someone think you are an idiot than to open your mouth and prove it."

Steve looks mad, but instead of coming back with another retort, he turns to his group of friends.

Scorpius sighs. Things were supposed to be easier once he got through to the Quidditch team.

How was he so short-sighted to not consider the challenge of match defeats taking him two steps forward?

"We still have two games, Scorp!" says Lysander, leaning forward, "We can easily make up. We just need to practice better over the next few weeks. We're a solid team already."

"Sure," nods Scorpius solemnly. His eyes then switch to Rose, who was reading The Daily Prophet now, a small frown on her face.

"All good?" he asks her, "More news on your mother's campaign?"

Hermione Granger-Weasley had announced her candidacy for the role of Minister of Magic during the summer before the third year started; the elections are expected to take place in June next year. Hermione had been actively campaigning within the Ministry and internationally, to gather support for her candidature.

Scorpius felt that she would obviously win the elections; she was terrific in her current role, a role model for many young women and the muggle-borns, and is also one of the reasons why Harry Potter did not die during his Hogwarts years. Rose on the other hand had said it was not that easy, given the old school, conservative nature of many of the senior ministry officials - they'd have to be really convinced to let a muggle-born witch lead them.

"Just a photo of us from the summer. And some trash talk by someone who doesn't want her to be in power," replies Rose casually, folding the newspaper and keeping at aside. "I'm done with breakfast. Want to take a walk around the lake. Want to join?"

Lysander gapes at her. "But you had one slice of toast, Rose! How are you _suddenly_ done with breakfast?"

"Had woken up early and dined in the kitchens, so this is just a top-up!" she says hurriedly, "I'll catch you guys in a bit. Have to head up to the dormitory!"

Without waiting for a response, Rose hurries away from the table.

Scorpius and Lysander exchange looks at this rushed behavior from her. That was weird.

Over the next few weeks, all are deeply immersed in their classes and extracurriculars, which ranged from Quidditch practices to club meetings. Scorpius had enrolled himself into the Magizoology club, Rose was a part of the Music Club, and Lysander had joined the Ancient Runes Club. Despite the disappointing loss at the beginning of the year and getting their housemates' ire, Scorpius and Lysander were optimistic about their chances at the end of the year. Given how much they got their arses busted almost every other day, thanks to Christine's manic panic about having to win the Quidditch Cup this year since it's her final year, they can't talk about anything but their practices, and possible matches, and more Quidditch games. It seems to annoy Rose to a greater extent this year, since she becomes quickly snappish with them, often causing her to storm back to her dormitory.

The extra classes are certainly a pain, but that doesn't dull the magic of learning for Scorpius. He's enraptured in the Muggle Studies class in awe of the muggles who achieved so much despite lack of magic in their lives. Then there was Arithmancy, with its complicated numerical charts and forecasting that had Lysander lead their assignment sessions into the wee hours of the morning till he was satisfied. And then there was Care for Magical Creatures, easily one of Scorpius's favourite classes. Professor Hagrid was a bit conscious of dealing with him, but the moment he saw how Scorpius worked with bowtruckles in his first class, Professor Hagrid is extremely pleased with him. Scorpius hopes to continue this subject into his NEWTs. Magical creatures were absolutely fascinating to learn about!

It is on one December evening, when he is completing his homework on Salamanders (Lysander had conveniently excused himself the moment he found out, saying something about a Runes Meeting) in the common room, he is approached by a nervous-looking Lily Potter; she had been sorted into Ravenclaw that year.

"All good, Lils?" asks Scorpius on noting her timid behaviour. She nearly jumps when he addresses her; she hushes him in response, her eyes wide.

He frowns, "What's going on?"

"Where's Lysander?" she asks, looking around cautiously.

"He has a Runes meeting - seriously, what is up with you?" he asks, a little concerned now.

Lily seats herself next to him, looking straight at him. "I'm worried about Rose," she says, not missing a beat.

Scorpius feels his frown become more pronounced. This was unexpected. "Why so? Is she alright?"

"I don't think so," says Lily uncertainly, "I think she's unwell. She's been missing her meals. A lot."

Scorpius opens his mouth to argue about how ludicrous that statement was. Rose and food together made a love story unlike any other. "What makes you think so?"

"I had seen so. Just watch for the next couple of days?" asks Lily, wringing her hands, "I had gone to her dorm yesterday evening. Had overheard her throwing up in the bathroom. She passed it off as a stomach infection. But..."

Scorpius is alarmed at this. He did not notice this about Rose. Maybe a lot moodier than before, but it was alright, no?

"Do you have any idea about what's going on with her though?" he asks.

Lily looks shifty. "I'm not completely sure, but I think some of the news around Aunt Hermione that featured her got to her."

Scorpius puts down her quill, now more alert than ever. Why hadn't he noted this? He was usually very observant. "What news is that?"

"Well, let's say, these articles, many of them being a part of lifestyle magazines, don't usually paint Rose's, erm, body shape, in the most positive manner."

Scorpius is horrified at this.

" _What her body have to do with anything Aunt Hermione does?_ " he whispers, aghast. How on earth were they related?!

Lily shoots him a grimace. "You'll be surprised how easy it is for people, especially the media, to connect the most random things to make something convoluted. Some of the more recent articles had actually tried to portray Aunt Hermione as an unfit mother to let her child grow that large, given how apparently size can impact her success in later life."

"She's barely fourteen! She has nothing to do with this," he says with gritted teeth. He is fuming!

"Dad had filed a lawsuit last week against these magazines, asking them to retract their articles and express an apology," says Lily, running a hand through her hair, "It's expected to come out in the next month's issue. But I think Rose has heard enough over the last few weeks for her to try to skimp down on her food. Who knows what her roommates are up to? I'm really worried about her. What if she gets bulimia?"

He panics. This needed medical help if it was true. "Why are you telling me this?"

Lily looks at him as if he's being ridiculous. "Because you're someone she'll listen to! You are her best friend. You need to watch out for her! Dad said the campaigning time can get tough, with potshots between candidates getting personal. I don't even know what she has to listen to in her dorm. She and her dormmates are not exactly friends."

Scorpius nods, a lump in his throat. "Should I tell Lysander?"

"It's up to you. But either way, you have to get her to talk so that we can help her."

* * *

Scorpius decides that he won't tell Lysander yet. He doesn't want to create panic over something that hasn't been confirmed yet.

But in the coming week, he notes how Rose is cutting down on food unhealthily. The quantity she eats is almost painfully laughable, her claiming that she is full or not hungry at the moment, whereas he can see it in her eyes that she wants to eat more. She'd always had a large appetite.

Rose, in all fairness, had always been notably overweight ever since he knew her. But never for a moment had he considered that it would hamper her success at Hogwarts, given how confident and fiery she was. She never seemed to give any shit about what anyone thought of her.

But clearly things had changed.

While observing her eating patterns, he could see the slight physical changes, especially in her face, which now bore a pinched look as compared to the rosy look she always had in her previous years. Her robes looked baggier for her frame. She was mostly tired, and sleepy, and definitely short-tempered. Earlier he'd attributed her irritation to her stress brought on by her classes. Her heart sinks when he realises that barely smiled anymore, the wholesome smile that lit up her eyes, bringing a sparkle to her eyes.

He'd blindly ignored what was right in front of him! He was such a horrible friend to not notice it before.

So one day, after their Quidditch practice, two days before they were to break for Christmas, he asks her to accompany him to the Hogwarts kitchens, because he wanted to have a snack. Lysander has gone for his Runes meeting, so Scorpius surmises this would probably be the only time he can speak to her without having more audience. Rose, for some odd reason, looks a bit nervous as she packs off her bag and sets it aside in their common room before getting up to join him. As they walk side by side, he can see her wringing her fingers nervously and tucking her hair behind her ear. She flushes red when she catches him looking at her, causing her to smile at him nervously.

Bloody hell, he was putting her through torture, wasn't he? She'd hate the idea of going into the kitchen surrounded by her favourite foods, and push herself to not eat them.

He tickles the pear in the fruit bowl portrait and the door opens. As they step in, they are immediately hounded by the house-elves, looking excited at the sight of visitors.

"Miss Weasley! Mister Malfoy! So good it is to see you again," an elf he recognises as Tassels welcomes them.

They seat themselves at the table that'd fall right underneath the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. They are already surrounded by the enthusiastic house-elves, waiting for them to relay what they wanted.

"Some mince pies and scones for me," Scorpius says, and looks hopefully at Rose, seriously wishing that she'd prove him wrong and eat something with him. "And you Rose?"

"I'm not hungry," she says, throwing him a tight smile. The house-elves look confused but scatter nevertheless.

"Dinner is two hours from now. I don't think I saw you eat much at breakfast," starts Scorpius again.

"I'll eat at dinner. Don't worry-"

"Will you?" he asks sharply, looking straight into her eyes. She looks taken aback.

"What do you mean?" she whispers nervously, her shoulders tensing.

"Don't think I haven't noticed, Rose. You have been avoiding food these days. That's not who you are."

Rose's face notably reddens. Scorpius sees how she squares her shoulders, readying her defense.

"I'm just trying to be healthier," she says in an officious tone, "I think it's high time, given that I'm a maturing woman-"

"Since when is having a slice of bread enough for the entire day?" he asks, cocking his head to the side, "I'm worried about what you're doing to yourself, Rose! Those articles and news reports know jack about who you are; they don't have any right to dictate how you should live your life and you shouldn't give them the power!"

Rose's expression quickly changes from that of betrayal to pure anger. "Neither do you have the right to dictate how I should live my life or eat or drink or whatever!"

"You're right, I don't. But I do have the right to smack some sense into my friend when she is trying to put away what really makes her happy on the words of some inconsequential-"

"It's not just them, Scorp!" she shrieks. He notes the angry tears forming in her eyes and his heart breaks. "It's all around me! People mock me for my weight, sometimes in front of me, sometimes behind my back. What's being said in the paper is nothing compared to the other nonsense that I get to hear on a daily basis. The future Minister of Magic has a potato for a daughter apparently, or whatever vegetable or condiment or inanimate object people can easily associate with being fat. God forbid if I slip, it's because the trunks that I have for feet can't support my body weight! I have been hearing it for years, Scorpius, _years_. It can really get on the nerves. I am sorry, but I am not that strong. Do you know what's worse? I can't seem to drown the stupid voice in my own head now that seems to tell me that I can't achieve anything if I don't thin down!"

Scorpius is frozen in his seat, his heart aching for his friend who is now crying openly in front of him. The house-elves look terrified and are eyeing them from a distance.

"Those reporters are anyway paid to do what they have to do. It hurts me that I am being used as a pawn to bring down my mother. She is a terrific woman who can change the world with her thoughts and actions. It is hateful that they have found the most ridiculous yet painful thing to malign her efforts. It terrifies me to think that if she loses the election because of things they have accused her of, do I really have any hope for my own future?"

He honestly doesn't know what can make her feel better. He knows he wants to help her, that's all.

Determined, he gets up from his seat, jumps across the table, and slides into the seat next to her, startling her.

"You don't like how you look?" he asks quietly, looking at her face.

"No. I hate how I look. And I hate how it affects me. Did you know I got a seventy-two on my Herbology essay? _Seventy-two!_ Uncle Neville was so disappointed with my work! I begged him to not let my parents know about this!" she cries, introducing a fresh bout of tears.

He waits for them to subside a bit before he talks again.

"Work out with me."

Rose stops sobbing and turns to look at him, stunned. " _W-what?_ "

"Yeah, you and me, we can work out in the mornings, or evenings or whatever works with you. You want to go for a jog or do drills, anything. I'll work out with you."

She is still staring at him, eyes wide in surprise. The tears are still rolling out, but she isn't crying noisily at least.

"You're joking, right? Me? Exercise with you?" she gasps.

"Why not?" he exclaims, now annoyed. It wasn't _that_ implausible an idea. He was athletic and fast on his feet; he could help her out. Plus it's fun working out with friends! He knows Rose wasn't athletic at all nor was she interested in exercise, but from a health perspective, physical and mental, it could probably help her a lot, "Lysander and I get our arses busted during Quidditch practices, but they are really helping us get fitter. You can also join us. We can work out a schedule and a plan that works for you. But I humbly request you - don't miss out on food like this!"

"Really?" says Rose softly, still staring at him.

"Yes. We can also work on a healthy diet that can gradually help with weight loss. Reducing the intake suddenly won't help. But maybe instead of three pumpkin pasties, have one along with some fruits, so that you're never hungry." he adds, hoping it would her make her more inclined towards getting in shape rather than lose weight.

She looks at him, her tears now drying up. He can see the cogwheels moving in her head.

He prays for her to accept his proposal. He notes the lock of hair stuck to her cheeks because of the tears. He reaches out and tucks it behind her ear. Rose's eyes widen and she flushes red. "You really don't have to do this alone, Rose. I still wonder why you didn't tell us about this. Either way, you should know - I'm here for you. We can get through this together, your general craziness aside."

She snorts loudly at the last part, a small smile now breaking on her face.

"Right," she grins as she wipes away her tears, "Okay, let's do this."

He immediately pulls her into a tight embrace, sighing when he feels her wrap her arms around his waist just as tightly. Scorpius is learning to express his affections better physically. He hopes the hug helps her feel better. A few moments later, when he feels her smile into his shoulder, he knows it did.

They are interrupted by a loud grumble from Rose's stomach that makes them laugh as they break their hug.

"I'm soo hungry!" says Rose urgently, her eyes sparkling the way they do when she is talking about, or eating food. This makes Scorpius ridiculously happy.

The house-elves arrive again bringing a tray of mince pies and scones each.

Rose diligently picks up one of each and thanks the house-elves, making them shriek in happiness. Scorpius raises his eyebrow at her.

"I'm planning to have dinner, of course. A small snack is fine for now!" she looks at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We'll see about that," he replies sternly, making her giggle.

As they bite into the scones, she opens up to him about her experience with fat-shaming, which had apparently been happening since the first year. Scorpius feels guilty because he thinks he had completely ignored her struggles. He also feels vengeful on hearing her stories. She pointedly refuses to take names, but he can tell that their fellow Ravenclaws, someone in her own family, and definitely some snakes in Slytherin said some awful things to her.

He hesitates initially but then decides to open up to her about his fear of not being liked by their housemates, despite getting into the team.

Rose is taken aback at his declaration. "What made you think that getting into the team can help with that? That's rarely ever enough" she says. She then leans forward, as if telling him a secret. "Did you know James was hated by his fellow Gryffindors at the beginning of his second year because he played so poorly in his first Quidditch match?"

"What? No!" gasps Scorpius in surprise. James Potter was the darling of Gryffindor House right now - the prankster, the Quidditch Captain, charming git. It's difficult to imagine him as anything else.

"He worked his arse off over the year to ensure he improved his game. And when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup, all was forgiven."

Something falls in place within him. Scorpius had his answer, didn't he? Not only did he have to perform well, but his team also had to win the Quidditch Cup.

He had to prove that his surname was just a surname, not a bad luck sign.

"You just focus on your game, Scorp! It's really not that difficult for people to fall in love with you once they get to know you," says Rose, her ears turning red while she bites into a mince pie. Her eyes close in bliss. " _This is sooo good!_ "

Scorpius only chuckles in response. He spends the rest of their time in the kitchen watching her eat and truly relishing her food; it's truly one of life's underestimated pleasures.

As they wrap up their snacking and exit the kitchens, Rose is highly upbeat and beaming softly at him. As they pass through the corridors, on their way up to Ravenclaw tower, Rose is back to her chatty self, telling him about how she plans to make up for the assignment and score better than him. Her face predictably purples when he tells her that he got a hundred on his assignment.

"Ugh! Why do you have to be so annoyingly good?!" she groans. Scorpius tugs at her nose, making her swat at his hand in response.

"Rosie, just admit it already," he says smugly. While it was always incredible when the teachers praised him, there was something about Rose calling him her equal or competent that made his day, "I'm better than you at academics!"

"We still have an entire year ahead!" she retorts, holding her chin up. "You'll see - I'll beat you!"

"Sure. Only possible in your dreams."

The banter continues as they turn into the corridor leading up to the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Rose suddenly catches hold of his arm, halting him.

He looks at her concernedly, "All okay, Rose?"

The look on her face is soft as she looks at him.

"Just-I-ugh-" she struggles before sighing loudly and smiling at him, "Thanks. It really means a lot to me. What you did." she finishes.

Something tells Scorpius that wasn't what she was planning to say. But he wasn't really going to nag her.

"I had to do it," he says, tucking his hands in his pockets and flashing her a cheeky grin, "You're my best girl, Rose. But sometimes you're nuts and need me to knock some sense into you. So we're-"

Whatever he was about to say next dies in his throat when he sees the look on Rose's face to suddenly turn into that of determination.

_Wha-?_

His thinking snaps to zero when she leans forward and kisses him.

On the lips.

She pulls back five seconds later, blushing as brightly as the summer sun.

Scorpius registers a few things in those five seconds:

1\. His lips have received a fierce electric jolt

2\. His face has burnt hotter than all the stars in the galaxy

3\. He has recited in his head the entire methodology for brewing the perfect Polyjuice Potion

4\. He can hear the damn chorus of the song, Kiss Me at Midnight, his parents' favourite song to dance to.

5\. He may have frozen in his spot

6\. He may have also stopped breathing

7\. And yep, his heart has definitely failed

_Whatinmerlinsmindblowingfartwasthat?_

Scorpius realises he is staring at Rose, who is looking back at him, her eyes big and optimistic.

"Wha-that-bu-you-me- _huh_?" he splutters, trying to compose himself, but he finds out that he can't really focus.

Rose had just kissed him. _ROSE_ kissed him - _WHAT WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!_

He is panicking. He can feel the sweat beads forming on his forehead. He is trying is hardest to make sense out of this situation, but it was difficult to think over the deafening sound of his heart ramming itself against his ribcage violently.

What the hell?!

Rose is boiling scarlet at this point. " _I-really-like-you-I-have-for-a-while-_ ," it's her time to splutter again.

Scorpius feels as if his entire world has been swept off from underneath him, her words slowly registering in his brain.

She said she liked him.

As in _him_ \- Scorpius Malfoy, her best friend.

 _SHE_ liked him. She _LIKED_ him. She liked _HIM_.

"- _you've always been so amazing! You make me mad all the time, sometimes such a pain in the arse._ _So-annoying-but-also-so-cute_ -"

EXCUSE ME? HOLD UP! Did she just say she found him cute?

Him? Cute? C-U-T-E?

Scorpius realises that she is still talking and tunes back in, his mind reeling at this truth bomb.

He needs to sit. And breathe. He's not ready to die at thirteen due to frickin' heart failure.

Or would one call it organ failure? The rest of him seems to be shutting down as well.

"-and the moment just felt right. I have wanted to do that for a while now. Kiss you I mean." Despite being more coherent than she was before, Rose is positively radiating heat, she's blushing _that_ hard _._

He's never seen Rose turn this red.

"Well, do you have any-?" her voice trails off waiting for him to talk now.

He is rooted to the spot, his eyes wide open in shock. And he's staring at her face like an idiot.

"Scorpius?" she breathes. He notes how her voice now sounds timider. As if almost terrified of hearing his response.

She is waiting for his response, isn't she?

He knows what she's trying to ask him, his brain finally being able to string two and more letters together.

Merlin, there's no doubt that he likes her - he absolutely adores her, really! - but as a _friend_.

She is a dear friend, his family, almost like a sister perhaps. He's never felt romantically inclined towards her. He liked Gracie, didn't he?

He can't delude her into thinking anything else. It won't be fair on him, won't be fair for her either.

" _Rose_ ," he croaks, finally finding his voice. Maybe it was the way he said it or maybe it was his expression, but her face crumbles in an instant. Her lower lip quivers for a moment.

 _Holy shit_ , he's going to break her heart, isn't he?

Never in his life did he imagine that he would be the one doing this to her.

He had never hated himself more.

He never wanted to be the reason behind her tears.

But he is not going to fake his feelings. She doesn't deserve that.

"You're my best friend," he gasps, praying to all the gods to make this right. He so does not want to hurt her, "But I don't-"

A blood-curdling thought pops up in his head and stops him. What if she decides that she doesn't want to speak to him after this?

The horrific thought itself makes him want to cry; she means _so_ much to him.

"Is there someone else?" she asks quietly, her face small. He notes how her jawline is tense.

Scorpius hesitates for a moment before nodding. He can't lie to her.

Rose looks down and breathes deeply, before looking up at him, her face, _magically_ , expressionless.

"Guess it's two love in the game that is bad luck vs Rose's love life," she says, throwing him a fake cheery smile. Her teary eyes told another story.

His heart aches on seeing this side of her.

"I just don't know how to deal with this. And I don't want you being awkward about this-" she says, her face suddenly looking amused.

Okay, he was very, very confused. Was she teasing him or joking with him?

She should not play with his heart like this! He thought he was about to die right now!

And then he spots that flash of vulnerability in her eyes, and he realises that everything that had happened was _real_.

Rose had kissed him because she liked him.

Well, _shit._

She looks pleadingly at him, "Let's pretend this never happened? I-"

"Okay, done," says Scorpius immediately. She was clearly hurting, and he did not want to drag this. He was more than happy to nip this in the bud. "I won't bring this up again. And I won't even tell Lysander-"

"Good," says Rose firmly, nodding at him.

"Good," he follows.

"Cool."

"Cool."

"Awesome."

"Aw-"

"So much for not making it more awkward!" groans Rose embarrassedly, facepalming herself. Her ears are glowing a pleasant red, "Maybe I shouldn't have told you this or kissed you. I am sorry-"

"No no no no!" Scorpius interrupts her hurriedly. She should not be regretting this. He definitely didn't. "Um. Thank you. The kiss was nice"

Rose stares at him in disbelief. And then she looks awkward again.

"Maybe we should-" she says, a restless air around her.

"Yeah, let's head back to the dormitory- I mean the Common room!" says Scorpius in a high pitched voice with the first thing that comes to his mind. Rose looks taken aback but nods along. Thankfully, the walk to the Common Room is short. The moment they enter the Common Room, they quickly rush back to their seats by the fireplace, red in their faces. They get down to working on their assignments, Lysander joining them a few minutes later, surprisingly oblivious to the palpable tension between them.

As Scorpius tucks into his bed that night, he is very glad the holidays start the day after. He desperately prays that things are back to normal between him and Rose by the time they meet again in the new year.

On Christmas, he realises that his prayers have been answered as Rose gifts him a box of Hershey's Kisses chocolates with a sweet little note ( _I never said welcome that day. So here are some 'kisses' to compensate. Happy Christmas! PS: Not bringing this up again from now on!)._ He is grinning as he reads the note, all the while remembering the strawberry scent of her lip balm.

Scorpius decides Rose Weasley may just be the most adorable person he's ever met.

* * *

When they meet again on rejoining Hogwarts, he feels Rose is back to her usual self, enjoying her food, reading her muggle books, being hyper-competitive, and getting into arguments with him. She thankfully doesn't bring up the kiss, nor does she act awkward around him anymore. All is well again!

Or maybe even better, as she joins him and Lysander during the Quidditch practices, choosing to jog around the Quidditch pitch while they practiced, coming good on her promise to exercise and take care of herself.

Her determined face during her exercises, the constant complaints about body cramps and yet turning up to work out the next time motivates him to stay focused on his goal for the year-end - to bring home the Quidditch Cup.

As spring dawns on them, the tides seem to turn in his favour as they defeat Slytherin by over three hundred points (Nott's reaction to the defeat really makes Ravenclaw's victory that much sweeter), and Gryffindor loses to Hufflepuff by a hundred points.

Ravenclaw goes into the final match of the season trailing Gryffindor by a narrow margin of ten points and Hufflepuff by a hundred points. It sinks in that victory was quite possible for Ravenclaw this time. They simply needed to keep their heads in the game. And it was terrifying.

The entire team is seated at breakfast together, feeling rather jittery.

Scorpius thinks he might get sick. The Gryffindors are a noisy lot, their boisterousness echoing in the hall, which makes him even more jittery.

"They are just as nervous as us," Lysander says to him coolly, "They just have a different way to show it."

As always, Scorpius is ridiculously jealous of Lysander's chill attitude in times of pressure.

Rose comes by, munching on a piece of toast. She hugs Lysander, who lifts her up in the air to toy with her.

When she hugs Scorpius, she quickly whispers in his ear, "I told you you'll kill it at Quidditch. You didn't give up then, and you've come so far! Don't give up now."

She pulls back from the hug and gives him a Mars bar with an assuring smile. He gladly takes it from her and pops it in his mouth, allowing the sweet taste of caramel to calm him down.

Thirty minutes later, they are in the Ravenclaw Quidditch locker room, getting ready to enter the stadium.

Just before they are about to mount their brooms and fly into the stadium, Christine turns to look at them and grins, "This is the year the nerds win."

There are chuckles all around and everyone's hugging each other, lifting Scorpius's spirits. They fly into the stadium to do some laps and loosen up, which helps with the nerves immensely.

Scorpius hears his heart thump in his ears as he takes in the crowd roaring out for Ravenclaw, the cheers louder than their previous matches. His housemates had made colour-changing banners that cheered for all the players in the house. It makes him so happy to see "Go Scorpius!" appearing among them.

He was finally counted as one of them!

Grinning, he turns his head to look at Lysander at the goalposts, who gives him a thumb up. The Gryffindor team is flying into position across them.

He swings his arms to loosen them up, the roar of the crowd pumping him as he readies himself to play the game of his life.

The entire team of his plays the game of their lives. Which is why two hours later, when Christine catches the snitch just as Scorpius throws Albus off her tail with a precise bludger hit to the broom when Ravenclaw was already leading by hundred and ten points, they win the Quidditch Cup.

Everything around Scorpius is a blur of blue as there is an explosion of cheers. He flies with the rest of team towards Christine, hugging her tightly while she cries in joy.

The blood is pounding in his ears as he struggles to contain his happiness. He is jumping with his teammates in arms - everyone is so happy!

The whole sight makes Scorpius feel as if his insides are glowing. Ravenclaw had finally won the Quidditch Cup!

He can spot the dejected-looking Gryffindors standing by the side and for a moment, he feels bad for them. He can spot James Potter's heartbroken face. Scorpius catches Albus's eye, who simply nods in response with a small smile on his face. Yup, they can definitely catch up post the match, maybe at the Ravenclaw post-match celebrations to discuss the alternate endings to this match.

The Ravenclaws seated in the stands rush onto the ground to congratulate the team.

Scorpius is taken aback as Eleanor, who'd barely ever acknowledged him before, hugs him tightly. Even Alex claps his back to congratulate him. Steve extends his hand to shake his, a tentative expression on his face.

The Quidditch Cup had really changed things, hadn't it?

Lily turns up next to hug him, grinning uncontrollably. Rose turns up behind her, her round pink-with-happiness face standing out in the crowd.

Scorpius pulls her into a fierce embrace, his fingers getting lost in her unruly hair. She'll never know this, but he was so thankful to have her by his side!

She pulls back from the hug, "You were so brilliant!" she croaks, her eyes shining in excitement. Scorpius suspects she'd yelled herself hoarse. She then turns to Lysander to congratulate him, enveloping him in a hug as well.

Scorpius watches as Christine moves forward to receive the Quidditch Cup from Professor McGonagall. The sheer pride that takes over his senses when Christine lifts the cup in the air to the roar of the Ravenclaws around - there was simply no way to describe it.

Standing arm in arm with his friends and classmates, watching Ravenclaw lift the Quidditch Cup - this may just be the happiest he has ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Scorp scores goal number two! Woohoo! On the other hand, things are heating up between our favourite duo. Any predictions on how they'll progress from here? Would love to hear some conspiracy theories *Lysander mode activated*
> 
> We will be moving into the slightly more mature themes (and language) next chapter onwards (Hormonal/randy teen boy, y'all), so you have been warned.
> 
> Really sorry for the slight delay in the update, weekend work screwed things up. Ugh!
> 
> Next update coming up by next weekend (not the coming one, unfortunately).
> 
> In the meantime, please review and make my night, week, month!
> 
> Stay safe, dear butterflies!
> 
> Love,
> 
> WeasleyKingRocks


	5. One of THREE

**Disclaimer:** Everything recognisable belongs to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

_THREE: I will get ten Outstanding OWLs_

* * *

" _You suck - Scorpius Malfoooy!_ "

"You've said this before. Do better."

" _I absolutely loathe you - you know tha'?_ "

"No, you don't. As a matter of fact-"

" _Don't you - daaaare!_ "

"Of course I won't. Now give me one more! You're nearly there!"

Scorpius chuckles as Rose lets out a set of expletives before raising her torso slowly to execute another sit up. She then falls back onto the ground, panting loudly, her arms covering her eyes.

"And, done!" exclaims Scorpius, highly pleased with today's workout. He takes out a list of seven exercises he'd listed for Wednesday. She'd completed all of them, 4 sets each. Feeling rather proud, he lies down next to her on a cleared out ground by the Great Lake, watching the orange hues take over the sky. He exhales deeply, allowing the mist to form above him as he does so, before disappearing in thin air.

It was rather chilly, wasn't it? But then, it was the end of January. Already.

Fourth-year had started out as a blur, with all the professors talking about the O.W.L.s and how this year and the next one were extremely critical for their future. Scorpius knows that every year plays its role in defining their future - he doesn't honestly understand the reason behind hyping up the exams. It only scares those who don't like giving them. Fortunately, for him and Rose, studying and giving exams is as easy as breathing. They'd even partnered up for a Potions project for extra credits (Blood-replenishing Potion) that was to be over this month.

Ravenclaw had even won the Quidditch opener against Hufflepuff, with their captain Javier, leading from the front. They'd opened their Quidditch season with a spectacular win. Scorpius had even looked over at Gracie, hoping to win her admiration, but she'd borne a sour look on her face, which was fair enough given that Hufflepuff was trounced soundly. People in his house were finally polite to him if not friendly, and that in itself was a big win for him. So Scorpius could say he was happy with the way things were going; he was having a surprisingly easy time.

He looks to his side to glance at Rose, who seemed to have dozed off, her chest rising and falling gently.

She certainly wasn't having an easy time, especially since the summer.

Hermione Granger-Weasley had won the elections last June and had been appointed the Minister for Magic for the next seven years. This also meant that Rose was under scrutiny, not just from the tabloids outside but from the gossip mongers inside Hogwarts.

This only exposed her vulnerability to more gossip and pressure, and she'd gone back to swinging between overeating and skipping meals, much to Scorpius's horror. He'd thought that maybe working out had helped bring her some confidence by losing weight (she had made some progress, if not complete). Clearly, it hadn't been enough.

This time, instead of mulling over how to help her and coming to the wrong conclusion, Scorpius also reached out to Lysander for help, who'd immediately encouraged Rose to speak to her parents about it.

And speak she did. Rose had been whisked away for a weekend, along with her brother, and when she came back she looked in better spirits. Rose confided in them that she had spoken to a therapist, a Madame Stiles, who she believed could help her overcome her anxiety and eating disorder. She and her therapist had meetings every alternate weekend away from Hogwarts. Her fortnightly visits to somewhere outside school were not unnoticed by the already speculative crowd of Hogwarts, many already calling the situation "the privilege of being the Minister's daughter", as they believed that she was going out for leisure rather than attending to something critical.

Scorpius knew that while her therapy sessions were trying to help her fight her demons, these rumours about her "fortnightly shopping trips" were definitely impacting her battle. He'd seen her clenched fists, the drop in her mood whenever they'd hear the words floating in, and the consequent struggle she faced when it was time for them to eat. But he knew she was trying her best.

He, Lysander, and Albus often kept an eye out for the hecklers, not hesitating in sending a stinging hex or the like at them discreetly, especially when Rose wasn't around. They knew she wouldn't take kindly to it, no matter how noble their intentions were.

Rose also pushed to continue their exercises after the winter break after approval from her therapist. Another reason why she wanted to continue was that she felt happier and stronger after the workouts. Scorpius made her promise that he'd be up for it, only if she promised to eat healthily, maintain her progress journal, and not look at the weighing scale.

It had been three weeks since they came back from the holidays; since then, they'd celebrated Rose's fifteenth birthday rather pompously in the Hogwarts kitchens, with her celebrating responsibly. They'd had worked out every alternate day where she cursed his ears off as he tried to coach her.

Scorpius couldn't deny that she genuinely looked happier these days. So maybe, she was finally on the right path.

He blinks hard; he realises he'd been dozing lightly and his feet have gone numb. He checks his watch. It was seven, time for them to head back.

"Rose!" he croaks, patting her thigh. She is startled awake and looks at him through narrowed eyes.

"Why did you interrupt?" she complains, "I was having the best dream-"

"About me?" smirks Scorpius, and he is delighted to see her face turn red. Her face is then immediately rearranged into a scowl.

"You wish!" she says indignantly, as she sits up, "I had dreamt that I was bitchslapping Zelda Belby for even suggesting that my hair does not look good untied."

Scorpius winces. "Wow. That's violent."

"I think she deserves it. Her smug little face as she flips her groomed hair makes me just want to-" Rose proceeds to make a violent hand gesture that has Scorpius worried about her anger. Maybe one day if he pushes her too hard during her workout, she may just snap his neck.

Unconsciously, he reaches out to touch his neck.

Rose frowns at him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah," he says, dropping his hands, "Lysander should be done with his meeting by now, right?"

"I hope so!" she says, looking towards the castle, "The Runes club seems to have an awful lot of meetings, don't they? I wish Lysander was here with us."

"So that he could lift you up in the air and not leave you till you begged him?" he suggests, tugging at her arm, asking her to get up.

"More like so because he's far more likable than you when we're working out." scowls Rose as she gets up.

Scorpius rolls his eyes. "You know you love me, Rosie-Posie."

"Real cute, Ferret."

"Only for you, Weaselette." He then tugs at her hair which she's tied up in a long braid. She promptly responds with a swift whack to his arm, making him wince hard.

Scorpius decides he will not irritate her in a way that was likely to get her to respond physically. She was definitely getting stronger.

They head back to the castle, recollecting their pending work for their project.

"We also need to pick up an additional stock of Salamander's blood for today's update. The order we placed would be in only by day after. " sighs Rose, as they walk towards the Ravenclaw Tower, "Feel free to volunteer to ask Urquhart if you can borrow some from his collection. He'll give you his entire world if you ask him. He couldn't stop gushing about your Pepperup Potion in the class yesterday-"

Scorpius admonishes her. "Oh come on. I grew up studying potions and I happen to be intelligent. Stop sounding so butthurt. It's very childish."

Rose scowls. It's been over three years, but she refuses to accept that he is better than her in Potions, even though they are neck to neck when it comes to grades.

Just as they turn into the corridor, they spot Lysander at the other end of it with someone. Surprise dawns on Scorpius when he realises that Lysander is having a conversation with Donald Murk, Nott's hapless sidekick. This feels highly unusual because Lysander had never mentioned anything about working with Murk or having classes with him. Were they in the Runes club together?

Scorpius merely opens his mouth, ready to call out his friend, when the unthinkable happens.

Lysander leans down and kisses Murk, who responds by giving him a playful shove.

Scorpius freezes in his place, his mouth wide open.

His brain may have also exploded.

_What the what now?_

Why was Lysander _kissing_ _Murk_?

Why was Lysander kissing Murk, _Nott's_ right-hand man?

Why was Lysander _kissing_ Murk, _a boy_?

Why did it look like it _hadn't_ been the first time it had happened?

Scorpius chokes when he sees Lysander and Murk lean in again. He feels himself being pulled back by his jumper and pushed against the wall by the turn.

" _Murk!_ " he gasps, as Rose holds him against the wall, her eyes round and big. " _Lysander's snogging Murk!_ "

" _Sshh! You'll disturb them!_ " she whispers furiously.

Scorpius looks at her incredulously. " _Disturb them?_ Disturb _THEM?_ Bloody hell, Rose, how long has this been going on?" Another thought dawns on him, making him feel as if an ice bucket had been dumped on him, " _Did you know about this?!_ "

"Of course not!" her eyes flash sternly at him, "I had seen them together in the past, but I always thought they were working on a project for the club or something. But even if I did, I wouldn't tell you unless Lysander was okay with it."

Scorpius is hurt. And angry. He can't believe that Lysander hid whatever he was up to with Murk!

He thought they shared everything. He thought they were close, not just as friends, but like brothers.

He feels crushed all of a sudden.

"But why wouldn't he tell _me_?" he croaks sadly. Rose finally lets go of him, comprehension dawning on her, "I thought we were talked about everything. Why would he not tell me? Did he expect that I'd judge him?"

"You were screaming murder mere minutes ago-"

Scorpius suddenly fumes, Murk's irritating smirk flooding his mind, "Then maybe his choice in people to date - that I'd judge!" he scowls. Why couldn't she what he could see?! "It's Murk! He's a bloody snot. Not to mention a frickin' Slytherin who chooses to bully people he considers weak-"

"Does he?" interrupts Rose, "I don't think he participates."

"Maybe he just watches," his blood boils as he remembers the altercation with Nott in their first year. Murk had just stood there while Nott had smashed him up against the wall. Or those times when Nott talked shit about him and his family in the hallways and Murk did nothing but joined in the laughter. "That's just as bad."

"Maybe he's changed. I know Lysander wouldn't go around dating a slimeball," she says, looking thoughtful, "I trust him. Don't you?"

Scorpius looked at her in ridicule.

Of course, he trusted Lysander! But _this_ just felt like such a big revelation at the moment that he wasn't sure of anything.

He's still struggling to fathom that Lysander liked boys when they'd been clear signs in the past that he was attracted to girls. He'd noticed girls around him, and often talked about how Jilian was really pretty. He even had these magazines that he let Scorpius borrow, with photos of women in the most scintillating postures and clothes or lack of.

(Just remembering the images tickles his nether regions in a way he doesn't want anyone to know about)

(Okay, he was getting distracted.)

And then there was this secret. This humongous, larger-than-Merlin's-testicles secret that Lysander was snogging Murk in lonely corridors. And Merlin knows where else.

Scorpius didn't know what to make of this. But then, he knew Lysander wouldn't do anything that would hurt him.

"I don't know how I feel about this," he says, honestly. He feels frustrated and annoyed that Lysander didn't tell him. Felt like a blow to his confidence.

And also disgusted, because it was Murk!

"Maybe it's a big deal for him," says Rose, biting her lip, "Maybe he wanted to see how it went before he told you about it? Like would there be any point if it never led to anything?" she hesitates, "I-I mean, we didn't tell him that I kissed you."

His eyes snap up to look at her. She suddenly looks awkward, her cheeks flaming red. This was the first time they'd addressed the incident since last year.

"You both kissed?"

Scorpius nearly cricks his neck when he hears Lysander. He's standing at the turn, facing them; his eyes are comically wide as he takes them in.

There's an awkward silence for a moment. Scorpius feels his face flush red, looking identical to Rose, who instead suddenly splutters, "Well, you kissed Murk!"

Scorpius is surprised at her response. Lysander looks just as taken aback, turning a furious shade of pink. His face drops when he turns to look at Scorpius "I-"

And then, there it was. The sense of betrayal. And _Murk!_

"We just saw you with him!" Scorpius spits, feeling very, _very_ angry, "You hid this from us! From _me_! Why the hell didn't you tell me about him? After all that teasing about me fancying Gracie-"

" _What?!_ Gracie's the one you fancy?!" interrupts Rose.

Scorpius nearly punches himself. This was _so_ not the right time to talk about this.

She is staring at him, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Lysander seems to have known this for a while."

"How was I supposed to know that you wanted to know? I told you I liked someone - you never asked who it was!" Scorpius asks, flabbergasted. Couldn't she see he was trying to protect her? Why was she trying to make him feel guilty about it? "Besides, you said you liked me, I was merely trying to protect your feelings-"

Her nostrils flare up. "That's ancient history, Malfoy! You seriously didn't think I'd sit and cry that you don't like me back?"

"Again. How would I know? You refused to talk about it, remember?" Merlin, he's really, _really_ annoyed with her now.

"Well, I was over you ages ago. It wasn't a big deal," she says waspishly, crossing her arms across her chest.

The way she says it, _stings_.

He may have not reciprocated, but it was flattering to know someone found him attractive and liked him.

She just brushed off her feelings like it meant nothing to her.

Or maybe it was misplaced anger from him not telling her about Gracie.

"You can't possibly be mad about me not telling about Gracie. I thought you'd understand," he snaps, exasperatedly.

Rose switches her angry tone to an accusatory one. "I would try. But it's hilarious how you're complaining about Lysander keeping his feelings a secret when you did the same-"

"Guys, I'm still here. Just in case," comes Lysander's bored voice from somewhere seemingly far away, but neither Scorpius nor Rose is paying him any heed.

"Because it's Lysander - you have no idea about how much we share!"

"That's what I thought about us as well -"

" _ALRIGHT, YOU SELFISH NUTS!_ " Lysander roars, grabbing both of them by their arms and shaking them, taking them by surprise.

"Rose!" he says, training his eyes on her. Rose visibly flinches at his tone. "He didn't tell you because he was worried that he would hurt you. Maybe understand that he was trying to be sensitive to your feelings. Maybe if you'd given him a sign that you were over him, he would have opened up. Stop dragging this further than needed. Unless there's something else that's bothering you about him, speak up. Else, shut up."

Rose opens her mouth like a fish, ready to argue, but closes it shut, face turning red.

"And you," Lysander turns towards him; Scorpius steps back in warning. His friend always bore a good-natured smile on his face. And this pissed off look on his face was quite unsettling, "I think it's obvious why I didn't tell you. I was worried that you'd hate me because not only because I am attracted to boys as well, but also because I was attracted to one of the few people you can't stand here at Hogwarts. Although I am happy liking a boy isn't an issue for you, but you're being a complete pisspot about Donald."

"Change my mind," snaps Scorpius, finally finding his voice and looking back at him defiantly, "Does Murk want to date you? Are you guys even dating? What the hell is going on?"

Lysander sighs, running a hand through his hair, looking frustrated, "Donald hasn't told his parents; they are orthodox purebloods. And there are a bunch of people in Slytherin who may not take to him coming out too lightly. He is scared. He's unfortunately stuck with the wrong crowd and he is alone. So maybe cut him some slack, and cut me some slack? We like each other and just want to spend some together. So if I may have your permission, oh great Malfoy with an unfortunate middle name -and yes - no mentioning this to others."

Scorpius looks at his friend who looks upset, a complete one-eighty from mere minutes ago.

Was he really worried that he, as in Scorpius, would hate him because he wanted to date boys?

Scorpius feels something twist horribly within him.`

That's an awful feeling to have - to have to worry about friends suddenly hate them because of the person they choose to date. Lysander should not have to worry about his friend not standing by him.

Sighing loudly, he says, "Fine. But maybe, be a little more discreet about your snogging sessions? Er-anybody could have seen you."

"So, we're cool?" asks Lysander slowly, his shoulders relaxing.

"I guess," says Scorpius, running a hand through his hair. And then points a finger at him, "But I'm still mad you didn't tell me. And I really don't trust him."

"But I do."

"Fine. But he'll be getting hell from me if he tries to hurt you in any way. Hell, I'll hex him if he tries anything stupid with Nott."

"Be my guest. I know if you hex him, it will be because he deserves it."

Scorpius realises that Rose has been observing them quietly, her eyes shifting curiously between the two of them. He catches her gaze and watches her expression turn to that of guilt. He simply shakes his head and she relaxes.

The trio awkwardly looks at each for a moment before Lysander says, "I think dinner's about to start. I'm starving. Let's go."

"Sounds good," says Rose in agreement, and they turn towards the Great Hall.

"Not so fast though," smirks Lysander as he wraps an arm around Rose's shoulder while walking, "You need to tell me more about you cute little ancient crush on Scorpius here."

Rose only groans in response, shoving his arm off her shoulder and walks faster.

"Come on, _Roooose!_ " whines Lysander, catching up with her quickly.

"It's in the past. I've moved on. So should you," she turns to look at him, a smile on her face, "Now tell me more about Murk. How did it happen?"

As Lysander shyly tells his story of how he and Murk happened (partnered up for Runes project, one thing led to another), Scorpius surmises that he shouldn't be harsh on his friend. Sometimes, the heart can be a delicate thing - not necessarily choosing whom to love. It just happens.

But he'll keep an eye out. Some Slytherins are just not meant to be trusted.

* * *

Homework piles on for the next few days and Scorpius, Lysander, and Rose, find themselves cramped up in the library, burying themselves in their notes and books. Lysander has been tugging at his hair, trying to solve an Arithmancy problem that has bothered him for the last two hours.

"This is ridiculous!" he says furiously, tapping impatiently on the table with a pencil, "How am _I_ not able to solve this?" He quickly rustles through his class notes, "See! My notes say the exact same thing. You move to level three from one, and then go back to two to solve it further."

"Give me fifteen minutes. And then let's crack it together. You'll become bald at the rate you've been pulling out your hair," replies Scorpius, rushing to finish off his Transfiguration essay on Cross-Species Switching Spells.

Boy, had the workload suddenly increased? Rose was manically writing on her paper, her eyes plastered to her parchment, her hair getting bushier by the minute.

"Hey Scorpius!" comes a new voice a minute later. Scorpius looks up in surprise to see Sally Brooks, a fellow fourth-year from Gryffindor, beaming at him. They'd sat together a couple of times during Potions where he'd helped her out with her in-class assignments.

"Hi!" he says, pleasantly surprised, "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something. Can we talk in private?"

She trails off and looks at him expectantly.

"Sure," he replies, although slightly confused. They never interacted outside classes.

He gets up from his seat and follows her to one of the shelves, where they seemed to be the only ones around.

When she turns around, Scorpius is surprised to see her turning pinker by the second. Her honey brown eyes are sparkling with excitement and nervousness.

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this time? As a date?"

Scorpius gasps in surprise because this is something he'd not expected at all!

A girl was asking _him_ out on a date.

 _HIM_.

"It's the weekend before Valentine's" she continues, pressing him further, "And you're nice. Pretty attractive -"

_Holy mother of-_

"So what do you think?"

Scorpius's head is spinning at the moment. His mother had teased him that he'd be soon sending her mails about going out on dates since Valentine's was coming up, but this was unreal, to say the least.

He is positive his cheeks are burning at the moment.

It was really flattering that she liked him.

But she wasn't Gracie.

He'd have to reject her. And bear the brunt.

Well, _shit._

"Thank you," he gasps, bracing himself for the backlash, "It's very sweet of you to ask. But I kind of like someone else."

Sally's face falls, and she looks disappointed.

"Is it Rose Weasley? Are you going with _her_?" she asks, her tone bitter.

"No, she's my friend," he replies, confused at the question. Why Rose? "It's someone else."

"Okay good. Bye," she says tersely before storming off.

As he walks back to his seat in a daze, he spots Lysander giving him what Scorpius would eventually name 'a shit-eating grin'. Rose is also watching him in amusement.

" _So,_ " drawls Lysander, leaning towards him as he sat down, "What did Ms. Brooks want?"

"A date to Hogsmeade," he says, trying his best to sound nonchalant, but despite how it turned out, he was very, _very_ pleased.

Girls found _him_ attractive.

Rose immediately pulls up her chair closer to him while Lysander chuckles, " _You sly dog_."

"And?" asks Rose impatiently. Lysander also looks on eagerly.

"I said no," says Scorpius slowly. Both look taken aback. Now it's his turn to be confused, "What? What else could I have said? I like someone else, remember?"

Lysander shakes his head while Rose squeezes his hand, sighing ' _Oh Scorpius!'_ before returning to her essay.

"Sally Brooks is pretty and nice!" says Lysander, looking at him knowingly, "I think you missed out a great chance to date a lovely girl."

"But-but I like Gracie," Scorpius says as if that solved everything.

"And what exactly have you done about that?" asks Rose, giving him a pointed look before returning to her essay.

"Thank you, Rose," says Lysander grinning, "The Hogsmeade weekend is coming up. Do you think Gracie won't have her share of suitors? She's easily the most popular girl in our year. And I have mentioned she's gorgeous, right?"

"Of course you have!" snaps Scorpius, annoyed. But he can't ignore the truth in Lysander's words.

Gracie was the prettiest girl in their year and ran in one of the "cool" social circles at Hogwarts. She was also a kickass Quidditch player and a light-hearted personality that attracted everyone.

Yup, people were going to ask her, if not already done so.

What if she already has a date?

"Does she already have a date?" asks Scorpius nervously. His insides twist uncomfortably at that thought: Gracie going to Hogsmeade hand-in-hand with a faceless man.

Pangs of jealousy torment his soul. The green monster claws at his insides, the hate washing over him. He is _not_ ready for heartbreak.

"If she does, then no one knows," says Lysander thoughtfully, "I guess you'll never know till you ask. But ask her. _Soon_."

Scorpius simply nods at that. He knows that he will have to pop the question really soon.

He knows that she is way out of his league.

He was a shy, nerd extraordinaire, and she was the popular queen bee - quite the textbook opposites.

But he also doesn't see why she'd say no. He was an attractive chap, wasn't he? He'd always been nice to her, even though they'd spoken one-on-one perhaps only once since the beginning of their time at Hogwarts.

Unless she already had a date.

Over the next one week, he tries to find a moment where she'd be alone and he could approach her, but she is always surrounded by her friends - Alice Longbottom, Ethan McMillan, Samantha Warner, Justin Thomas, Christopher Jones, and the list went on.

It is on the Thursday before Valentine's weekend when he finally catches up to her. Gracie, Justin, and Alice are walking back together from Potions.

Scorpius decides that it is now or never. Valentine's was the day after.

He ignores Rose's _'Where're you going?'_ and Lysander's bewildered look to try to catch up with them. He skids in front of them, startling all.

"Merlin, Scorpius!" gasps Alice, clutching her books to her chest, "Why would you scare us like that?"

"Sorry!" he exhales. But Alice has no idea about how terrified he was instead. The back of his neck was sweating profusely, his head was spinning, and he was feeling extremely light-headed. His eyes lock on to Gracie's and - BAM! - he feels his heart come _alive_.

"Malfoy, you alright? You look a bit funny," frowns Gracie, and Scorpius feels like his insides are glowing.

She's addressing him, probably the second time since forever.

She was so pretty! And _so_ tall.

Okay, he's struggling to breathe. She looks pretty intimidating, with that height. And that hair. Wow.

" _I wanted to ask you something!_ " he gushes, his heart beating ridiculously fast against his ribcage.

"Yeah okay?" says Gracie, leaning forward.

He exhales deeply, trying to clear his head, preparing the words in his head.

Shit, he should have decided beforehand instead of jumping into this.

He did not do spontaneity well.

" _DoyouwanttogotoHogsmeadewithme?_ " he practically says in one breath.

His voice probably came out like a wheeze. A high-pitched _wheeze_.

Merlin. This was so embarrassing.

Scorpius watches as Gracie frowns. "Could you come again? I didn't catch that," she says.

_Focus, Scorpius, focus!_

He steels himself, his ears ringing, the chatter of the crowd in the hallways growing bigger.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me, like on a date?" he asks slowly, allowing himself to breathe and pause wherever needed. He needed to have full control over his senses to get his point across.

Justin lets out a snicker in response. Alice swats him on his arm. Gracie, on the other hand, looks stunned, her eyes wide as she stares back at Scorpius.

"Are you serious?" she chuckles after a moment, and Scorpius feels the blood drain out of his face.

Was this funny? How was this funny? He wasn't amused. He notes how Alice grimaces as she looks back at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I am dead serious," he says, his voice now an octave higher, "I don't see-,"

"Sorry, Malfoy. Thanks for asking, but not interested. Besides, I already have a date." says Gracie.

_Not interested._

Scorpius feels his head spin violently.

_She already had a date._

Could he have dated her had he asked her before?

Scorpius feels sick to the gut. He feels like he's going to throw up.

Wait a minute -

He barely realises what has happened till he feels the bitter taste of the bile in his mouth and a roar of laughter and groans around him.

The vision in front of him is unclear. He is positive he is shaking. He barely registers hands gripping his upper arms and dragging him away.

Before he knows it, he's seated on his bed, that too in shock. He senses movement around him, but he can't really concentrate.

Did he really throw up at Gracie's feet? In a crowded hallway? On being rejected for a date?

His mood sinks miserably, but before he can say anything, a familiar handkerchief is handed to him.

"Take it, you need to wipe your face." comes Rose's voice from around him. He looks up to see her sitting across him next to Lysander on his bed.

"Did I really throw up?" he croaks, his mouth very dry, sandpaper-like almost. His hands are shaking.

"Grandiosely so," says Lysander. He looks torn between amusement and concern, "But don't worry. We cleaned up Gracie- it wasn't that bad." He then exchanges a look with Rose, who cringes in response and shakes her head. "Okay, it was horrible. She was utterly horrified. I know we both were - what the hell happened over there?!"

" _I don't knoww!_ " Scorpius groans loudly, his face burning with embarrassment. He hides his face in his hands, swearing to not leave his four-poster bed till the end of time.

How was he supposed to face the rest of the school now?

He had become a laughing stock! He admits to himself (rather guiltily) that he himself would be highly amused had someone else been in his place.

There was no doubt the story of how the Ravenclaw Beater Scorpius Malfoy threw up on his lovely competitor because he was rejected by her, would permeate within the school.

The hallway was crowded. Scorpius can suddenly hear the laughter from the corridors echoing in his head. It was overpowering.

Oh, this was _bad_. He highly doubted his Ravenclaw peers would hold back from mocking him. And then they had _just_ gotten around to like him!

He was back to square one, now because of something _he_ did.

This was absolutely horrible. And pathetic. And stupid. And highly demotivating. And extremely mortifying.

Ugh, he needed to have a lay-in.

"I'm going to sleep," he says morosely, kicking off his shoes and robes. He doesn't even need to change. He was fine slipping into the bed with his school uniform. Maybe the earth will swallow him while he tucks himself into the bed. Yes, that would be nice. Then he wouldn't have to face the rest of the school. "Need this nightmare to be over. Also, not coming to Hogsmeade the day after. You guys have fun without me."

"Oh come on! Stop being so dramatic! It's not that big a deal." exclaims Lysander, his eyes widening.

"Isn't it?" asks Scorpius waspishly. He was still cringing from the whole... idea of it. He is partially glad that he doesn't really recall what happened.

And oh Merlin! Gracie - _seven hells!_ \- she must absolutely abhor him now.

He swears he's never felt so depressed in his life - everything had gone to utter shit.

* * *

He finds out the next day (from Rose) that Gracie Jones was going to Hogsmeade with none other than James Potter. Their date rustles up quite a few gossip mongers at Hogwarts, given that their mothers were teammates at Harpies.

While Scorpius is thankful that the gossip had turned to Gracie and James's upcoming date, he can't ignore the sniggers and giggles that come his way in the hallways, making him more morose, and making him more determined to miss the Hogsmeade weekend he'd really been looking forward to.

But as misery loves company, Lysander too joins him in his foul mood, because Donald apparently had asked one of his fellow (female) Slytherins to accompany him on a date that weekend.

That, unsurprisingly, pisses Scorpius off _more_.

So he promises himself and Lysander that they'll not avoid Hogsmeade at all, and instead walk into the village valiantly and have a great time. They were done crying about their heartbreaks.

Rose too tries to help in their mission by finding the rest of the Weasley clan and engage in a huge snowball fight near the Shrieking Shack, and then catching up at Hogs Head Inn for a private Weasley family lunch. Scorpius also buys a secret stash of pranking candies from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, to secretly gift Donald Murk over the next couple of weeks. Lysander would only find out about it once the candies come into action.

Scorpius spots Gracie and James snogging furiously in a lonely alley sometime during the day, but he tries his best to ignore the resounding punch to his gut as his priority right now was to cheer up his friend. The Weasley clan is also rather upfront while addressing Scorpius's incident with Gracie, but all the teasing is done in good humour and Scorpius also takes the jokes sportingly.

By the end of the evening, Scorpius swears he's never laughed harder, and Lysander, too, has cheered up immensely.

They head back into the castle, having enjoyed the Hogsmeade weekend more than they anticipated. Sure, there are mocking grins and cringe one-liners thrown his way over the next couple of days. (The smug grin on Sally Brooks' face is quite annoying - to be honest. As if _she_ turned him down.) He knows the rest of the castle will take its time to calm down and forget this incident, but he's kind of alright with it.

But sadly, Scorpius can't stop thinking about Gracie or the way she invades his dreams in the most alluring manner. He unfortunately still pines for her, and he knows it will be a while before the butterflies go away.

Two months later, Gracie and James break-up, and Gracie moves on to date a fellow fourth-year Hufflepuff, David Anderson. She hasn't spoken to Scorpius since that day and refuses to make eye contact with him whenever he tries.

And frankly, that's the one thing that really breaks his heart.

It just feels like he's lost his chance with the girl of his dreams. And he absolutely hates it.

* * *

All of a sudden, it's May, and Scorpius turns fifteen. Quidditch final and exam prep happen side by side and really test Scorpius's patience.

Fourth-year honestly picked up its pace after the Christmas holidays, bombarding them with assignments and course work. The teachers say it's a prep for the hell year that's the O.W.L.s year, but Scorpius takes that warning with a pinch of salt. His own dorm sees his classmates revising their notes feverishly and vocally, often distracting him.

One such night, he excuses himself to go study in the mostly empty common room. But he is barely done revising his notes from September when he catches a wink.

His eyes snap open when he feels a blanket is pulled over him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." comes Rose's hushed voice.

He rubs his eyes and tries to lift his head, but ends up wincing, a sharp pain shooting in his neck. He fell asleep on the armrest with his head lolling off

"What time is it?" he asks groggily.

"About 2 AM."

Rose finally comes into focus in front of him. She looks like she was tossing around in her sleep and decided to come downstairs. She's tied her hair into two braids, but it seemed pointless given how her hair's already coming out of the braids.

"Nice braids," he smirks, looking pointedly at her hair.

"Don't even think about it," she warns as she sits by his feet. She knows he's drawn to her hair the moment she ties it up. He struggles to hold himself back from touching it. The itch in his hands is hard to ignore.

"Alright, fine" he concedes, raising his arms in defeat. "How come you're up? Couldn't sleep?"

She nods, looking tired. "Was a little restless. So decided to take a little walk and found you curled up in a ball. Honestly, Scorpius, you could have caught a cold!"

Scorpius suddenly remembers the blanket currently covering him, "Did you go back up and get the blanket?"

Rose's lip twitches. "I used a summoning charm. It's yours."

"Oh, thanks," he replies, sitting straighter. It was nice and toasty with the blanket in the cold common room, "What's bothering you?"

"What?" squawks Rose, confused.

"You're up at 2 AM. Something keeping you up."

"The usual," says Rose dismissively, "Classes are becoming harder. Exams are round the corner. And I found out from Uncle Harry over recently that this year onward physical fitness tests will be a part of the application process to become an Auror."

"Auror?" exclaims Scorpius. This was certainly _new_. He'd thought she'd probably become a writer, or maybe work with the Department of International Magical Cooperation, given her interest, "That's what you want to do after Hogwarts?"

"Why is that so surprising?" she frowns.

"Just that you've never mentioned it. That's all."

"Sure it-it isn't because you think it's not a good fit for me?" He can sense the doubt in her voice.

Scorpius groans. "Rose, you're the scariest person I know, and also the most brilliant. You'll be the most awesome Auror if there was one."

Rose looks very pleased, shooting him a wide grin. And then her smile slips for a moment. "I am worried about ensuring that I get good grades in Potions. That one is a weak spot."

Scorpius tucks his legs under his thigh, indignant Rose has to worry about this. "That's why you have me, crazy. I'll make sure you graduate Hogwarts with an O in Potions, and nothing lower."

She beams at him, "Thank you for the offer for help. I'll gladly take it, your highness" She does a courtesy, making him laugh.

Help reminds Scorpius of the last time he tried to really help her with something she was struggling with.

"Hey, Rose. How are you doing?" he asks a little cautiously.

She looks confused. "I'm fine?"

"I meant, with your therapy and all, how is that going?"

Rose's face colors. " _Oh_. That. I'd like to believe it's going decently - I mean, I am not stress-eating as much. And the periods when I feel a loss of appetite, that's definitely come down."

"But?" he presses, knowing she wasn't relaying the full story.

Rose sighs, playing with her braid nervously, "It's tough. It's really tough. Especially on days when I feel things are going out of control. Then there are days when I don't feel like doing anything or even eating, and really having to push yourself to eat is a lot of effort. The fear of spiraling is always there. I can't tell you how terrified I am because of that."

Scorpius nods. "Have you told your therapist this?"

"Of course."

"I hope you're being honest with your therapist. You have a thing for hiding details unconsciously," he says sharply. Her blush deepens.

"I am trying," she says in a small voice, now playing with a loose thread on his blanket.

"That's all that matters. You've got this," he says assuringly, moving closer to her. He was so proud of her for doing what she was doing to get her life on track. "I know I failed miserably in trying to help you earlier, with the whole weight loss thing. But you should know - I'm here for you, and am happy to help you in whatever way possible."

She looks softly at him, "I never expected you to solve the problem, Scorp. I needed medical help. As for what you can do -just be there to check on me, like you did now? Sometimes, that's all I ever need to keep moving forward." She reaches out and squeezes his hand.

"Even if it is at 2 AM, in pajamas, in the middle of an empty common room?" he asks good-humouredly.

" _Especially_ , if it is at 2 AM, in pajamas, in the middle of an empty common room," she chuckles and then looks at him earnestly, melting him from the inside.

"Done," he says fiercely, squeezing her hand in return, making a silent promise to her that he'll be there with her, by her side, fighting her battles. His eyes then land on those thick braids of hers, and he just jumps in.

He tugs at her braids playfully, causing her to giggle. "What are you, a kid?" she exclaims, highly amused.

"Not really. But I think you look like one with these two braids!" he grins, tugging at them again.

"Stop it!" she chides, trying to slap his hands away, but he manages to grab on to her braids with one hand, and catches her right hand. She then places her free hand on top of his hand holding her braids.

"Try again, Rosie!" he smirks, tugging at her braids again and bringing her closer.

"You stupid prat - you're so annoying!" she says, narrowing her eyes, trying to glare at him, but the humour in her eyes give her away.

"Nah. I'm sexy," he says, puffing up his chest, making her laugh again. He tugs at her braids again, pulling gently on the sides, bringing her closer yet again.

The way their laughter ceases quickly indicates to Scorpius that he'd probably gone a tad too far this time.

Because they were far too close, their noses just about brushing each other, eyes staring wide into each others'. He could see the flecks of golden brown in her eyes, shimmering in her electric blue eyes and her long eyelashes. Damn.

And there's that smell, that fruity smell he's associated with her since they kissed last year.

"You smell like strawberries," he says suddenly, his eyes dipping just so to look at her lips. It was the lip balm, wasn't it?

"It's the lip balm," she confirms, her voice strangled. Scorpius notes how she is breathing a lot slower, deeper now.

"It's really nice," he says, his own voice surprisingly husky. He can also hear the blood thumping in his ears. Her lips look softer than he'd ever seen them. And far closer than they'd been in a while.

The way she's looking at him makes his face feel rather hot, and he lowers his eyes, almost shyly. He watches, hypnotised, as the tip of her tongue peeks out from between her lips and gently runs across her lower lip before she presses her lips shut.

Aaaand there's that tingle again, the warmth brewing in the pits of his stomach, the heat coursing through his body.

"Thank you." He also notes how her facial features were softer than before, the apple of her cheeks and jawline looked more delicate than he remembered, and a soft pink tinge at the bridge of her nose that intensifies as he looks at her. Her eyes, which had always been beautiful, to say the least, never seemed more entrancing. Her pupils dilate as she looks at him. He can feel her pulse quickening under his fingers.

He can't think of anything else to say right now, except that Rose Weasley is growing into a stunning woman.

His throat dries up as he becomes aware of the fact that she's wearing a dress robe that has fallen open, the neckline dipping to softly to highlight the contours of what the top hid from the rest of the world. A surge of lustful emotion flushes furiously through him and hits him straight in his crotch.

He shoots up from his seat, flushing furiously as he feels his body react.

This was so wrong and embarrassing! He was getting an erection because he imagined his best friend's breasts.

What the hell was wrong with him?!

He needed to leave at the earliest - his hormones were screwing him royally.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go and sleep upstairs. Now," he says hurriedly, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He desperately hopes Rose didn't see him peak at her breasts.

That would be utterly _mortifying_ , to say the least.

Rose looks taken back and confused at the sudden change in demeanour - so clearly she didn't see him glance at her breasts, much to his immense relief.

She is then yawning and stretching her hands above her head. He catches a glimpse of the freckled ivory skin of her waist as her top rides up; he quickly looks down, the back of his neck _burning_ hot. He curses his testosterone for being so vulnerable to anything with curves.

"Alright then," Rose announces as she gets up. "Good night."

"Yeah yeah, night. See you," Scorpius barely waits for any further response; he picks up his books and practically runs back upstairs to his dorm.

Everyone's thankfully asleep by now. He waves his wand at a floating light bauble hovering at the foot of his bed, flicking it on before finally drawing the curtains around him rather forcefully. He'd refused to sleep in complete darkness since he was five, thanks to the fears he developed due to "accidents" in his childhood. In the initial years at Hogwarts, he used to sleep with the curtains apart. But since this year as he'd discovered that he'd be needing more privacy than before, courtesy his wanking sessions and wet dreams, he'd got himself this little floating light that he left on when he slept, giving him some peace of mind.

As his head meets the pillows, he ponders if his teen years around girls and women are going to be _this_ torturous. He rejected a girl who liked him because he wanted that one girl he liked. The one girl he liked rejected him and he ended up throwing up at her feet, possibly ruining his chances with her and all other girls at Hogwarts at least for the near future. His hormones seem to be all over the place, for not only is he having these dreams about girls around him and waking up with a mess in his pants on the regular, but he's also getting boners around his female best friend.

Then, he has Quidditch and O.W.L.s to worry about.

His life was so messed up.

Or maybe that's what he should focus on - O.W.L.s and Quidditch. His goals related to girls were number five and six. The time for them will come when it will come.

Obsessing about girls is stupid, anyway, he thinks, punching his pillow angrily.

Hopefully, the next year, he wouldn't have to worry about them at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah puberty - such a painful, embarrassing time. And poor Scorpius vomited in front of the girl he liked *cringes* - how many saw that coming? :p
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading this update. 
> 
> Stay safe, y'all. Craving your reviews/feedback, as always. 
> 
> Much love & hugs
> 
> WeasleyKingRocks


	6. Two of THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely reviews on the last chapter and for checking in during this break. Hope you're all keeping safe and healthy. An extra-long chapter to compensate for the delay. Hope you enjoy it :)

**Disclaimer:** Everything recognisable belongs to JKR. Copyright infringement is unintended.

* * *

_THREE: I will get ten Outstanding O.W.L.s_

_(What the fuck was I thinking?[)_

* * *

Scorpius is cheerful as he walks onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, pushing his trolley ahead to board the Hogwarts Express for his fifth year. He can feel his parents' eyes burning into the back of his head, most presumably in part-amusement and part-confusion.

But had they been in his place and had the summer he'd had, they'd be just as chirpy.

His summer had been nothing short of spectacular.

The Malfoys holidayed in Latvia for most of the summer, where Draco and Scorpius explored ancient and modern techniques in potioneering that could help them improve on their current product line of potions. While Astoria Malfoy had been actively attending meetings to explore partnerships to expand their business across Eastern Europe, Scorpius was happily geeking over the advancements and research that was being done in the ancient apothecaries of the country. While he apprenticed with the prolific potioneer Casimir Ozols for almost a month, he took time off in the evenings or the weekends to explore the towns or cities close to where they were staying.

Scorpius had discovered that travelling and exploring new places was fun and enthralling. Not only did he meet new people or discover new cultures, but also see sights he'd never imagined before. Of course, it helped to have some lovely company when he explored. One such companion was Anne Balodis.

A fellow apprentice at the Ozols' Medical Marvels, she was a year older than him and attended Durmstrang. She was crazy smart and shared his love for potions.

Scorpius had also discovered that she was a fantastic kisser.

Her shiny black hair and coal-black eyes had hypnotised him the first time he'd met her. And that look she gave him every time their eyes met had swirled something painfully strong in the pits of his stomach. The tension between them had been palpable in the first few days, with both skirting around the mutual attraction they felt for each other. Fortunately, he'd neither blubbered like an idiot around her nor did he throw up when he asked her to show him around the village as she was a native. Barely twenty minutes into their tour, she'd pulled him into an alley and kissed him, leading to his first brilliant snog, and many more after in the weeks ahead.

His summer romance had been short-lived but thoroughly enjoyable. He'd learned a lot about the finer use cases of the ingredients in the potions world, and had also discovered that Anne rubbing him over his trousers got him aroused faster than he could say 'balls'. Anne was a great soundboard to brainstorm on the new anti-dotes that could be developed, and also an enthusiastic snogging partner who taught him a thing or two about the different erogenous zones on a woman's body. The reaction that he'd seen with his eyes- her sultry moans, and the way she clung onto his half unbuttoned shirt, as he boldly slipped a hand under her bra and touched her breasts - it was the hottest thing he'd _ever_ experienced.

All-in-all Scorpius'd had a great summer, which was only topped off by the news that he'd been appointed as the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain.

_Ravenclaw's - Quidditch - Captain._

He'd received the news with part disbelief and part pride. An inner voice had told him that he should not that surprised, since he'd had to step in against Slytherin last year as the interim captain when Javier had been knocked out during the game, and he did splendidly well. But he had also half-expected Lysander to be appointed Captain - his best friend was brilliant in his role as keeper and had the calm disposition needed at the tensest of situations - a highly coveted quality for a Quidditch captain.

That doesn't mean Scorpius isn't happy about this opportunity - the Quidditch lover within him had absolutely rejoiced, yelling mindlessly, carefree in his room. He wasn't just another nerd in Ravenclaw! He also wonders what it would mean for him and his goal to achieve popularity - his fellow Ravenclaws were civil enough with him now, but the puking incident with Gracie Jones had also made him a laughing stock in the school in the weeks after, with some girls choosing to jump away from him if he was around them and then laughing harshly afterward.

Hopefully, people at Hogwarts had moved on.

Hopefully.

He is yet to inform his friends about his appointment. He can't wait to tell Lysander and Rose about it!

He can barely control his excitement over the news - he knows how excited his own father was. Draco Malfoy was positively beyond himself, immediately offering to gift him the latest broom till Scorpius convinced him that it wasn't needed. Scorpius had also found his father smirking triumphantly at random moments and murmuring comments such as 'Take that, Potter' or 'Suck on that, Weaslebee" leading to his mother chiding him and teasing him about the childhood rivalry that now thankfully leaned more towards 'childish' than 'fatal'.

Scorpius cranes his neck and delights in the sight of redheads and blondes flooding onto the platform at a distance. It would only be a matter of time before he meets Lysander and Rose.

He hears a burst of familiar laughter behind him and feels his heart skip. He quickly turns around to see Gracie Jones giggling with her group of friends.

A pang of regret hits him as he observes Gracie's amused face, the crinkle in her eyes as she laughs at her boyfriend's jokes.

It could have been him, but _noooo_ , he had to throw up while asking her out and ruin things with her forever.

He cringes at the mere memory. Oh, it'll haunt him for the time to come.

"Still pining for her? I thought you would have moved on by now."

He spins around to find Rose Weasley looking at him in amusement. And for the first time in four years, he was looking straight, and not up _,_ at her.

His heart expands in utter joy. They were the _same_ height now.

This was fantastic. This year could not have started on a better note.

"Aha!" he exclaims triumphantly as he draws himself to his full height ( _he was finally as tall as her - four years too late!_ ) and moves closer to her. "Look who's the same height as you are now!"

Rose merely rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, seemingly ready to explain this crazy phenomenon, "It's only because I didn't gain an inch over the summer, which is clearly a glitch. You, on the other hand, have gained quite a few inches in height. Given how your voice has deepened over a span of two months, I guess puberty is finally settling in. But you know I'll eventually be taller than you by the time my growth spurt ends."

"How do you know it already hasn't ended?" he teases, crossing his arms in the same way she had.

"It hasn't," she growls, her eyes flashing dangerously at him. He only smirks in return; he knows he's hit a nerve.

She would absolutely hate it if he ends up growing taller than her.

He sincerely hopes he does. It probably would be more fun gazing down at her while she is ballooning up in anger.

Also, less scary. Probably.

His eyes then drop to her body and he frowns. "Is this your new look for the year?" he asks, confused as he could see that Rose was dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans that were _too_ large for her, "You look like you're about to drop a new diss track for Belby."

"Looks like somebody really paid attention to the Pop Culture in Muggle Studies," she teases. When he fixes her with a look, she tugs nervously at the bottom of her t-shirt, "I'm tired of hearing comments about my body, so I think it's just better to not let people get any idea what really lies under the clothes."

"Rose - " he starts, hating the fact that she had to go through all this.

"Don't," she cuts him off with a tone of finality.

"Fine. But are you sure? You're comfortable in these? It must be really...breezy and cold."

"I'm a winter baby, Scorp. You know I can handle lower temperatures well." she snorts.

Scorpius agrees; she was as much a winter baby as he was a summer child. He could be wearing three layers of clothing for winters, and Rose would be walking around in a simple jumper and pajamas. He knew the arguments they got into when they sat by the fire, with Rose always trying to muting the blaze and Scorpius trying to amp it up.

"Alright then," he says, shaking his head, "How was your summer?"

"I'm glad you asked, Scorp," she beams, "There's so much to tell you! First - you're looking at one of the fifth year Ravenclaw prefects!"

Scorpius looks amusedly at her because _of course_ : Rose Weasley was a Ravenclaw prefect.

She is nearly bouncing on her toes, her eyes wide in excitement; he can tell she'd been waiting long to tell him this.

"And the morning sky looks blue," he laughs, pulling her cheeks and getting a swift whack to the arm in response. He was becoming immune to her hits now, which he supposes is a good thing, "Congrats Rosie!"

"Will you stop pulling my cheeks?! And don't call me Rosie - it's weird to hear you call me something only James and Dad do."

Scorpius laughs harder as her nose turns redder all the while giving him a deathly glare.

Rose Weasley was adorable when riled up.

Yup, being taller than her would be so much fun.

The expression on her face suddenly changes to that of surprise as she spots something behind him.

"What?" asks Scorpius, nonplussed.

Rose's expression changes to that of amazement. "Lysander. And he looks... _good_."

Scorpius turns around immediately, confused as he sees Lysander walking towards them with a wide grin on his face.

There was a different air about Lysander. He obviously grew taller, but the confidence in his walk was something that could not be ignored. His face too seemed to have sunk in, with a sharper jawline standing out against his pale blue eyes. He was dressed rather formally in a blazer and trousers, not much unlike his own attire. Scorpius could see people around doing a double-take on spotting him, some staring at him for longer than what was considered polite.

"Hello, love birds. Been here for a while?" calls Lysander, smiling widely at the pair as he reaches them. He immediately envelops Scorpius in a hug, and he cheerfully returns it.

"Nah, just arrived," says Rose, sounding amused as she hugs him. "Also, what's up with this new look?"

Lysander's face drops as he pulls back from the hug. "You don't like it?" he asks, looking down at himself.

"Of course I do! You look amazing!" Rose giggles, patting his arm.

Scorpius looks sharply at her. What was with that high-pitched giggle? And that patting on the arm?

"Cool. Just thought I'd switch it up this year," grins Lysander, brushing lint off his blazer, "Besides, I'm prefect-"

"Merlin's balls, YES! Me too!" squeals Rose, sounding delighted as she jumps on Lysander to give him another hug, "Why didn't you tell - _Congratulations!_ "

Scorpius starts to feel more annoyed by the minute. He felt like a third wheel. Rose hadn't hugged him when she announced her prefect status - and was it really necessary for Lysander to hug Rose like that-

"I got Quidditch Captain!" he blurts out before he can stop himself. Rose and Lysander look at him in surprise, their arms still intertwined around each other.

Before Scorpius can comprehend, he's enveloped in a three-way hug, with Lysander exclaiming, ' _You did it, I knew you could do it!_ ' and Rose trilling, _'This is going to a great year for the three of us!'_

Scorpius is grinning uncontrollably by the time they pull apart from the hug, feeling all warm and dizzy with happiness.

Hopefully, Rose was right - maybe they had a fantastic year ahead of them.

After bidding goodbyes to their parents, they manage to find a compartment with Albus, Hugo, Lily, Lorcan, and to Scorpius's surprise, Alice Longbottom. Scorpius is even more amazed when Alice slips into the seat next to Albus and kisses him on the cheek.

"They're dating," sighs Rose happily in his ear, "Aren't they cute?"

"I guess," Scorpius shrugs, unsure of how to react. He'd honestly never been around couples his age so he simply feels like he was intruding on someone's private space. He supposed they looked good together. And happy as well.

The rest of the people in the compartment, however, simply seemed unfazed.

As Rose and Lysander leave for the Prefects' meeting, Scorpius finds out that the Weasley-Potter clan have had an entire summer to get used to this romance. They even have a couple name which goes by 'AlAl', something that Scorpius finds rather amusing. He also finds out that this romance had apparently been in the works for a while now.

"Textbook romance, really," chortles Lily, throwing a chocolate frog at Albus, hitting him square on his forehead, "Childhood friends growing up and falling for each other. So ridiculously cute, I could gag."

"It's sweet," adds Lorcan, nodding. This Scamander twin looks his eccentric self, unlike his brother who seemed to have adopted a rather grown-up dressing sense over the summer, "Till they start snogging. You should have been there during the summer. You could see tongues and everything. Ugh. Or maybe it's a good thing you weren't there."

Albus and Alice turn red at this mention and look shyly at each other.

Scorpius snickers uncomfortably and looks away to glance at the green scenery outside. It was certainly awkward and lonely to travel without his best friends joining him in the train journey, but he supposes he'll have to get used to it - it was highly likely that Rose and Lysander would be heading for their prefects meeting at the beginning of every year.

But that doesn't mean he isn't grateful to the people around him, who've accepted him for the person he was. He really was.

Rose and Lysander make their way back to the compartment by the time they've bought food from the trolleys and are happily eating it, but Scorpius is nevertheless relieved at their presence. Things were always a little simpler with them around.

Lily quickly catches onto him the moment she finds out he's the Quidditch Captain; she tells him she'll be trying out for Chaser this year. As they break into the Quidditch talk, Scorpius realises the mountain of work that he has to deal with this year.

It wasn't just the O.W.L.s this year - he had to lead a Quidditch team from the front.

* * *

Nerves really weren't his best friend. Especially when he was about to step on the Quidditch pitch tomorrow for the first time as the Captain.

Scorpius curses fluently as he tosses around his bed, unable to sleep. The stupid light at the end of his bed also seems to fluctuating, irritating the crap out of him -

No, irritating the _fuck_ out of him.

Scorpius had discovered a fondness towards this four-letter swear word that he'd deliberately avoided using for years, while his peers happily relegated the word to a common daily phrase. Back when he was ten, he'd yelled out "fuck" when he'd accidentally stubbed his toe on the side of his bed. The earful he'd received from his mother a few minutes after that incident rings in his ear to date. And hence, he'd held himself from dropping the f-bomb anytime anything went wrong.

But then, no other word seemed to truly emote the essence of the emotion he'd been feeling the last few weeks.

_"This pie tastes so fucking good!"_

_"Scamander, Potter! Stop squabbling like fucking five-year-olds, and get in position for practice!"_

_"How the fuck did I get an E in the Potions' assignment?!"_

The four-letter word was truly the peak of emoting any emotion.

He pushes his blankets aside as the nervousness crawls under his skin, making him restless.

 _Fuck_ , he needed to fly. Nothing else could calm his senses.

He looks at his bedside watch to see that it was almost twelve in the night. He could hear the light snores from Lysander's bed; he could tell that his friend was in the deepest of sleep. Lysander himself had turned into bed quite late, much to Scorpius' chagrin. They had a match tomorrow, and he'd apparently been out snogging Laurel Armstrong, the Gryffindor fifth year prefect - also his patrolling partner.

Scorpius had given him an earful, telling him that he was being callous and that he could catch up with Laurel after the match. Which had led to Lysander grinning wickedly and implying that they already had plans to do so, with bets in place if either Ravenclaw won or lost - which only cheesed him off further.

Lysander was turning out to be quite the lover boy of their year. Barely a week into school, he'd started snogging Justin Thomas, Gracie's best friend. However, the Quidditch rivalry came into the picture once Justin was selected as the Keeper this year, and they decided to part ways. Then he'd gone on a Hogsmeade date with a fourth-year Ravenclaw, Misha Christiansen, two weekends ago. At the rate Lysander was going, Scorpius suspected he'd probably date half the school by the time they graduate.

Lysander was thoroughly enjoying his light-hearted romances. He claimed they kept him entertained. This often scandalised Rose, who was a die-hard romantic and cherished the idea of having a proper relationship instead, which would then translate into something long-term.

Scorpius picks up his broom, understanding that Lysander may not be able to give him company in the night. He pulls on his jumper and sneakers and tiptoes across the room.

As he walks down to the common room, he is surprised to see Rose reading by the fireplace with her back to him; the mop of unruly red hair he could see on top of the chair was unmistakable. As he walks closer to her, he realises she's humming a tune, taking him by surprise.

It sinks within him that despite knowing her for over four years, he'd never heard her sing. Sure, she'd been in the Music Club for the past two years and had been a part of the group performing at the Opening feast. But he'd never really heard her sing, by herself that is. As he stands right behind her, he cherishes the oblivion she seems to be in.

He bends down, very close to her ear, and whispers, "Now, that was nice."

Rose lets out a strangled scream, immediately making him chuckle. What he hadn't anticipated was the book that flies out of her hand in her fright and hits him straight on his nose.

"OW!" Scorpius groans, rubbing his nose as the pain stings, making his eyes tear up.

"Serves you right! What were you thinking?" asks Rose, her voice wavering as she clutches her chest, "It's midnight and-," she pauses on seeing the broom in his hand, "Where do you think you're going?!"

"For a fly, clearly," he says, raising an eyebrow at her and readying himself for an explosion.

"You can't go _now_!" Rose looks horrified. "It's midnight. You don't want to get caught breaking curfew just before your first match as captain, Scorpius."

"Nothing else can help me relax, okay?," he says quickly, "I need to calm down before my match tomorrow - it's like I'm falling apart and I need to cool my thoughts before I go to bed."

Rose opens her mouth to reply, but no words come out. She quietly bends down to pick up her book.

"Hot chocolate?" she suggests after what seemed like ages, and he notices the steaming glass of the mentioned beverage next to her seat.

He shakes his head. That definitely wasn't going to help.

He then remembers a faint tune he'd heard merely minutes ago.

"Sooo, I heard a little something before I startled you," he starts, sinking into the chair opposite her. Rose's eyes widen, and she blushes beet red.

"No, you didn't," she says quickly, her voice nervous. She tucks her hair behind her ear and gets back to her book.

"Oh come on, Rose! You sounded incredible."

Rose's blush deepens.

"Thank you," she says hurriedly, not meeting his eyes, "I better get back to-,"

"Can you sing something?" says Scorpius before he can stop himself. He really wants to hear her sing. Her humming sounded absolutely incredible.

Rose looks back at him in alarm. "Excuse me?"

"Something small! It doesn't need to be an elaborate song. It may just...help calm me down - you know how nervous I get! I love music - you know how much I love it when Mom plays the piano - just a little something for me? Else I may just have to go out for a fly," he finishes with a dramatic sigh. He then looks pointedly at her.

"Are you baiting me, Scorpius Malfoy?" she asks, a smile playing on her lips.

"Maybe?" he grins widely at her. He playfully nudges her foot with his and laughs softly when he sees Rose trying her best to hold back her own laugh. This was their thing to do, wasn't it? An affectionate nudge to the arm, or to the foot? Sometimes, a tug on her plait. He likes it so far, "Come on! I know you're going to be great."

"Alright," she gives up, sighing as dramatically as he did mere seconds ago, "But you don't tell anyone else. And promise me you won't laugh."

"Maybe I laughed at your silly attempt at the Befuddlement potion today -"

"Zip it. It was a good attempt. I passed." Rose bristles in her seat.

"You and I both know you could have done better if you hadn't missed a turn. I told you you should add a turn-"

"Why you pompous - _peacock!_ Must you always brag -"

"But I won't laugh at this, Rose. I could _never_." he finishes sincerely.

She looks back at him skeptically. "Fine," she concedes. After a heartbeat's pause, she says "So this one is a Celestina Warbeck classic.."

Scorpius watches her prepare herself for it. He nods at her in encouragement, his own heart skipping a beat in excitement.

_"Oh, my poor heart, where has it gone?_

_It's left me for a spell..."_

Scorpius finds a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he hears her sing, a curing calmness reverberating in his soul.

He is nothing short of spellbound. She sounds _fucking_ _beautiful!_ He wants to tell her the same, but he's so worried that it will break this magic that seems to have woven itself around them the moment she sang the opening line.

He realises his breathing has slowed down and he is at his calmest best, a feeling that often occurs when he's brewing a potion.

_"Don't need no broom, I'm flying free."_

Scorpius decides that Rose Weasley is a fantastic singer and no one can change his mind about it.

She giggles softly at _"your every wish is my command,"_ does a dramatic rendition at ' _You're consuming me!'_ and yawns rather widely at ' _you charmed the heart right out of me'_.

A moment later, there's complete silence.

He blinks.

She'd stopped singing.

It was over.

He lets out a choked "wow", because what else can he say? She sounded so lovely.

She gives him a beatific smile and he is momentarily distracted by how she seems to be glowing, the firelight falling on her face and hair, just right.

"I hope that helped, Malfoy," she says, giving him an amused look as she gets up. She yawns widely again. "I'm going to go to bed now. And I better not hear about the Ravenclaw captain getting caught out of bed before his first match of the year."

"Don't worry, you won't," he grins. He gets up from the chair, now ready to head to bed; sleep was resting rather heavily on his eyes now. She shoots him a quick smile before heading towards the staircase that leads towards the girls' dormitory.

He hesitates for a moment before he calls out her name. She looks back at him, looking curious.

"Why have you-never-I mean before?" he struggles to find the right words, "I have never heard you sing before. Why is that?"

"You've never asked me before," says Rose simply, cocking her head to the side, "You really don't expect me to run around singing like I'm in a musical, right?"

Scorpius feels the back of his neck turn red. She was right, wasn't she?

"And what if-," he asks, walking towards her, "what if I'd like to hear you sing more."

Rose looks taken aback. She really hadn't seen this coming.

Her lips then upturn into a teasing smile.

" _Your every wish is my command, Scorpius Malfoy,_ " she sings, her eyes twinkling as she tucks her hair behind her ear.

She was adorable.

"You know I'll hold you to it," he says, winking at her.

_Wait._

Did he just _wink_? At _Rose_? Why did he do that?

"You better," she says, with a quirk of her eyebrow; her eyes are locked onto his and she gives him a look he's _sure_ he's never seen on her before.

He can't even get himself to look away.

He is so confused right now.

Were they - _dare he even say it_ \- flirting?!

It oddly felt like so. The air around them was electrifying.

Scorpius won't lie to himself: this, whatever _this_ was, did not feel much different than what had been with Anne a few months ago before they hooked up.

_What-the-hell!_

"Goodnight, Scorp."

And then she turns around to walk up the stairs, leaving him more confused and alert than he had been before he came down to the common room.

* * *

He wakes the next morning, ready to kick Hufflepuff's arse. Whatever had happened - or not happened - with Rose may have been a figment of his imagination because Rose seems unperturbed, like nothing had happened between them. She is her usual self, happily wishing the team and pushing him and Lysander to eat their breakfast before the match, while getting one side of her face painted the Ravenclaw colours. There seems to be no acknowledgment of anything changing between them, which makes Scorpius feel rather relieved.

Nothing had to change. And even if they did flirt, all of it was clearly harmless. Clearly.

As the team walks onto the pitch and mount their brooms, Scorpius is confident and proud of how well they have trained and prepared for this match. Lily is absolutely on point with her Chaser skills, reflecting her parents' Quidditch genes. Lysander has only gotten better with time, his Keeper skills maturing perfectly. Then there's Liam Campell, a fresh recruit from the third year, whose speed and reflexes make him a perfect fit for the role of Seeker. Lily's companions are Nikhil and Samantha Rodriguez from the sixth year, a defense partnership that worked well last year. Scorpius's own partner is a mousy second-year, Kelly Buchanon, whose size is a good cover for the sheer power of her bludger hits.

He is highly positive about the team dynamics, Lily and Lysander's petty squabbles aside, and their preparation. And thus Scorpius knows they will do well.

Gracie Jones leads the Hufflepuffs, and the teams are already in their positions. Scorpius braces himself as he flies up to park in the air right opposite her. Madame Chang calls the captains to shake hands.

"Planning to throw up, Malfoy?" grunts Gracie, an arrogant grin on her face as she shakes his hand. To his amazement, he hasn't lost his composure, nor is he nervous around her anymore. She towers over him and is still the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. And yet, he stares back at her, defying her apparent intimidation.

"Why? You miss it?" he asks, flashing her a fake smile and dropping her hand.,

Maybe he'd gotten over her. Or maybe it was the pressure to perform well.

Either way, he was ready to take on the mantle as Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain and truly prove his worth.

A few minutes after the whistle blows, Scorpius discovers that it's one thing to play with his team, but then to see them flourishing the way they were now - it was mindblowing!

Ravenclaw starts off strong, punching in a few quick goals, and Lysander making more saves than misses. But then Hufflepuff makes a strong comeback into the game a few goals after, and then it's neck to neck for a while before Ravenclaw picks up the attack as well as defense, increasing the margin.

After three hours of an intense game, Naomi Davidson, Hufflepuff's seeker, catches the snitch just ahead of Liam, and Hufflepuff wins the game four hundred and ten to three hundred and seventy.

Scorpius's heart sinks as the announcement is made, an aching disappointment crushing him.

The Hufflepuffs are cheering wildly in the stands, the players embracing each other in the air. The Ravenclaws in the stands look disappointed. His own team looks crestfallen, with Liam and Kelly being on the verge of tears.

"Team!" he calls out, his voice painfully thick. All fly towards him with ugly expressions on their face; Lysander catches his eye and they share a look; he was just as upset, and Scorpius surmises that his friend would like nothing more than pigging out on pear ice-cream in Hogwarts kitchen to drown his sorrows away. He knows they were excellent today, and it felt like Naomi snatched the victory for Hufflepuff right under their noses.

"We all know we did well," croaks Scorpius, his heart heavy. There are disgruntled grunts that come his way. "We have two other matches to catch up in. Thankfully, the margin of defeat is small, so we can be optimistic, yeah?"

More grunts.

Scorpius sighs. There was no need to stay morose, was there? "Now let's clean up and party!"

The team looks at him as if he was mad.

"For what?" asks Nikhil, looking highly befuddled, "We just lost the game!"

" _A_ game," corrects Scorpius, "The season has just begun. We can't be crying over our first match of the season. But Merlin knows I can do with a bottle of butterbeer-"

"Firewhiskey for me!" pipes Samantha, looking happier than she was minutes ago.

"I'll stick with my pear ice-cream," chuckles Lysander amusedly, his arm around Liam, who wipes away his tears and laughs.

"We could steal some bottles of firewhiskey from the Hufflepuff victory party," suggests Lily, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Now we're talking!" exclaims Scorpius happily, delighted at the change in mood of the team. "Let's get going now!"

As they walk back to the changing rooms, Lysander claps him on the back. "Well done, mate."

"On what?" asks Scorpius, confused.

"For being a good team captain," grins Lysander, "The old you would have sulked around. But _this?_ You handled this well."

Scorpius only nods in response with a wide grin on his face.

Once the beverages and drinks are in and music is set up, the whole house of Ravenclaw joins in the party, with visitors coming from Slytherin and Gryffindor as well. The vibe of the common room is happy as if the defeat never happened. Scorpius becomes extremely giddy around his third bottle of butterbeer and finds himself in titters with Lysander and Rose over things he can't even recall. He just remembers it was funny enough to make his stomach hurt.

The match may have ended in disappointment for them, but there was no need to remain sad about it. It was just a Quidditch game, after all.

* * *

"So Scorpius, how has your year been at Hogwarts so far?"

Scorpius wonders if saying "heaps of Hippogriff shit" would be a polite way to answer the question. But it may not be the smartest response, especially since the one asking the question was the amazing Harry Potter himself.

Scorpius had struggled with the workload since the year began, which worsened as December began, with all the teachers piling on homework just as everyone was getting in the holiday mood. He felt like he'd been full up to the brim when it came to his workload, and when sprinkled with Quidditch practices, it was complete and utter chaos. Ravenclaw lost their opener against Hufflepuff, and hence, could feel the pressure build as his team practiced in the peak of winter, preparing themselves for Slytherin.

Scorpius had scored two consecutive E's in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures essays and now he was seriously considering if he'd been over-ambitious with his goal of ten Outstanding O.W.L.s, especially since he hadn't considered the challenges associated with Quidditch and his Magizoology club. The club was running an internal contest for an exclusive summer internship with Neptune Egwu, one of the most highly revered potioneers of modern times, known for his groundbreaking work on the cure for spattergoit. Scorpius knew how badly he wanted it and thus had been fiercely competing against his club peers.

He was being stretched to his limits and he was not enjoying it at all.

And then, the holiday break came in at the right moment, and for the first time in five years, he was at The Burrow for Christmas.

He was staying with Lysander for the holidays as his parents were traveling. He feels slightly guilty for not missing his parents as much as he was excited about staying with the Scamanders. He'd met Rolf Scamander on his first day with them and they had talked into the night about the work of Newt Scamander in the discovery of magical beasts. Lysander's mother Luna was a delight to speak to, although he wondered if half the things she talked about were even real. Scorpius looks forward to the rest of his winter break with the Scamanders.

Christmas at The Burrow was one event he was eagerly looking forward to, having heard so much from Lysander about it over the years.

The place was practically overflowing with people, with chairs stuffed in every nook and cranny of the house and outside as well. There were streamers bursting everywhere, live fairies, floating baubles of lights. Scorpius honestly doesn't remember the last time he'd seen so many people together talking around and socialising with the same levels of energy. Rose is pink in the face and extra giggly when she greets him; Albus later tells them that James might have slipped her some mulled wine that was far more potent than the one being offered to adults.

Scorpius is happily playing a card game with the Weasleys when they are called for dinner. His jaw drops when his eyes land on the dinner table carrying the most lavish spread he'd seen since the opening feast at Hogwarts. He finds a seat next to Rose, and to his great amazement, Harry Potter sits next to him on the other side and engages him in a quick conversation about the Quidditch League standings before asking about his school year.

"It hasn't been the best," says Scorpius honestly, getting a feeling that the Head of Magical Law Enforcement would know straight away if he tried to bluff, "There's a lot happening, and I'm not sure I am not handling it well."

"Whatever is it that you do, don't forget to give yourself a break," says Harry, smiling kindly at him. "Fifth year was the toughest for me too. I understand you're one of the more brilliant ones like Rose here, but that doesn't mean that you forget to pause every once in a while to breathe deeply. In fact-"

Whatever Harry was planning to say next is interrupted as Teddy Lupin clinks a knife on his glass, catching everyone's attention. The cacophony around the table eventually dies down and everyone turns to look at him.

To Scorpius's surprise, Rose suddenly clutches his arm as Teddy launches into a speech about family and how thankful he is that he has the Potters and Weasleys as family.

He looks at Rose, confused and wincing slightly at her death grip on his arm. She instead is gawking at Victoire who is seated opposite them. Rather her gloved hand, which she just kept on the table.

Scorpius stares hard at Victoire's hand and notes a slight bump under the glove, at the base of her ring finger.

_Oh!_

"..which is why I'd like to announce that I asked Vicky to marry me-,"

There are loud gasps everywhere around Scorpius, coupled with 'Merlin's tits!', 'Holy shit!', 'I knew this was coming!', and "Oh my god!"

"-and I said yes!" yells out Victoire because everybody was too busy yelling. She takes the glove off her left hand to show a sparkling ring.

Scorpius has never been around so many Weasleys at the same time, so he wonders if the ground actually shook at the roar of celebratory yells and cries of happiness that just followed. He sits befuddled, waiting for his opportunity to congratulate the couple. Teddy and Victoire are being engulfed by everyone, and for a moment it's all a blur of red and black around him. It takes sometime before he can reach Teddy and Victoire to speak to them.

"Thank you so much, Scorpius!" says Victoire, her eyes crinkling, "We better see you at the wedding this summer with your parents! Will send an official invite soon."

"Of course," grins Scorpius, feeling warm and happy inside as Teddy claps him on the back. Over the past few years, Teddy and Victoire had become some of the friendly faces he looked forward to meeting over the summer at the Burrow. He'd seen them together and had also interacted one on one with them - they were perfect for each other.

He gets back to his seat where a rather emotional looking Harry Potter leads the toast for the affianced couple. There's a sense of contentment as he raises his own glass to celebrate the engagement of Edward Remus Lupin and Victoire Apolline Weasley.

Lysander was right - Christmas at the Burrow was magical, indeed.

* * *

"That doesn't seem right!" exclaims Scorpius, staring at his chessboard in horror as Hugo Weasley defeats him in a chess game in eleven minutes flat.

_Eleven. Fucking. Minutes._

Worse than his previous game which he lost within thirteen minutes.

It's embarrassing, as _fuck_. His own father would get a heart attack if he finds out that his brilliant son lost to Ron Weasley's son in a chess game _twice in a single afternoon_.

"Attaboy!" comes Ron Weasley's proud chuckle from somewhere close to them, before he exits the room with Harry.

Hugo shoots him a triumphant grin and asks, "Do you want to have another go?"

"I'm good," grimaces Scorpius. Two defeats were enough for him.

He sits back in his chair, grumbling at his luck. Post the early dinner, everyone's lounging around the living room and outside, filled up to the brim with Grandma Molly's delicious feast. It was almost six and the sun had set, everyone was now waiting for the sky to darken before George and Ron lit up the skies with the wheezes fireworks. James and Fred had nicked some of the work-in-progress products from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and were testing them out on the crowd, mostly their own cousins and friends who were spread out all over the room.

One of the unopened boxes starts vibrating, alerting James who was closest to it. Before he can say anything, the box explodes and there is green smoke everywhere in the room, albeit the smell was not unpleasant. Scorpius suddenly hears gentle giggles and chuckles, which did not sound human. When the smoke clears, Scorpius finds mistletoes floating on top of people's heads. The sparkly mistletoes seem to have a life of their own, almost giggling at the people caught underneath them.

Highly amused, Scorpius surveys who all got caught underneath it. There are Teddy and Victoire, who'd cozied up together in a loveseat, who are laughing; and then are Frank and Molly, past lovers who'd parted on good terms - they looked awkward.

Scorpius tries his best to suppress his snigger when he spots Albus and Lorcan under one such mistletoe, groaning and yelling indiscriminately.

And then his eyes land on Rose and Lysander seated at the kitchen bar. They were staring up at the mistletoe above their heads in shock.

Suddenly, Scorpius is not as amused anymore.

"Alright, kids! Snog!" calls James delightedly, springing up from his seat. "You know it's a Wheezes product - you'll be cursed if you don't snog under this."

"I have a girlfriend!" snarls Albus, pointing at Alice who seems to be trying her best to decide whether this situation was amusing or horrifying.

They continue to argue, drawing in the attention of those assembled in the living room, but Scorpius is distracted by Rose and Lysander. There is a depressing feeling looming in the pits of his stomach. He is upset for his friends who are trapped underneath the mistletoe.

He watches wordlessly as Lysander looks down at Rose, winking at her, "Ready for the snog of your life, Weasley?"

Scorpius is dumbfounded. Did Lysander really say _that_? Does he not know Rose at all? She would be so horrified!

To his intense surprise and distaste, Rose simply laughs and looks up at Lysander in amusement; the depressing tug at the bottom of his stomach becomes all the more severe. She flips her hair and says, "You better get ready for the snog of _your_ life, Scamander!"

_WHAT?_

What the _fuck_ was going on?!

As Lysander sweeps Rose in a dramatic hug and dips his head, Scorpius feels his jaw clench, a tsunami of uncontrollable anger battering his heart. His insides twist in disgust as Rose leans up on her toes to kiss Lysander. There are wolf whistles everywhere in the room as they kiss. Scorpius lowers his eyes to stare at the chessboard, trying to comprehend _what-on-bloodyfuckwasgoingon?_

Did they fancy each other? There wasn't even a blink or a single stance of resistance from either of them about the kiss!

Hugo, who was seated next to him, is highly scandalised. He yells, "Don't you use tongue on my sister!" leading to more laughter in the room.

Scorpius thinks he might get sick. He doesn't understand what's so funny. He's sick to the gut because of what's happening in the room. At a point, he realises he's clenched his fists too hard. He can't bear to lift his eyes and look at the pair who are still kissing - _their arms are still around each other!_ -

He is already on his feet and exiting the room, the collar of his shirt suddenly feeling too tight - he needs to breathe -

He crosses Ron Weasley, who's entering back into his home. A roar of "Bloody hell!" makes Scorpius understand that Ron Weasley may have walked into his daughter getting snogged.

It would be better if he avoided the indoors for a bit.

Scorpius walks around the pond, pondering over what had just happened and also calm himself.

Did Rose and Lysander fancy each other? While logic said they made no sense, given how incompatible their personalities were as a couple, Scorpius couldn't ignore how good they looked together. Plus they were childhood friends who grew up together. Plus they spent more time together this year because they were prefects.

For a fleeting moment, he imagines Lysander and Rose dating - that sickens him to an extent he hadn't considered; he can practically feel the bile scalding his insides.

And then he imagines them having a falling out, and their trio breaks up - _bloody hell, he can't deal with that!_

Scorpius decides that he doesn't like the idea of Rose and Lysander dating.

As a matter of fact, he despises it. Abhors it. Execrates it.

What if - _Merlin forbid, please!_ \- after the snog they realise their hidden feelings or attraction towards each other?! Even if he is not in favor of them dating, he can't possibly keep them apart because he doesn't like it.

Feeling rather miserable, he walks back to The Burrow. He can't keep sulking like this, lest people get any silly ideas like he fancies Rose or something, pfft.

People are slowly filing out onto the front yard that is now peppered with picnic baskets and outdoor rugs to seat themselves on. The front yard is also lit up with fairy lights. The place looks phenomenal. Scorpius goes back inside the Burrow, bracing himself for the worst. Instead, he finds Lysander is nowhere to be seen and Rose is back on the kitchen counter, sipping on what he could assume was hot chocolate.

He hesitates for a moment before joining her by the kitchen bar.

"Where were you?!" she asks, sitting upright on seeing him, "Lysander was looking for you as well!"

"Out for a walk - didn't fancy being a guinea pig for James," says Scorpius smoothly.

Rose chuckles, "Dad gave James quite an earful for bringing those mistletoes out. James and Fred had nicked it from his room. There might be some spare around, invisible till they trap a pair of people underneath. Apparently, the mistletoe locks you in place till you kiss -"

His stomach squirms uncomfortably.

"How was the kiss?" he interrupts hurriedly. Rose looks surprised.

"It was actually quite nice," she replies, a shy smile on her face. And then with a snort, "Now I understand why the girls gossip about his snogging skills."

"Girls gossip about Lysander's snogging skills?" asks Scorpius, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah! He's hugely popular among the crowd at Hogwarts." Rose wipes her lips and moves to the kitchen sink to clean the mug, "Lots of talk about how uses his tongue - Merlin's balls, they need to gossip about better things!"

"And did you - um- use tongue?" asks Scorpius, almost regretting the question the moment it left his mouth.

Rose turns around to look at him, bewilderment written all over her face.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy! You did not just ask me that question!" she exclaims, looking torn between amusement and embarrassment.

"Well, I did," exclaims Scorpius, pink blotches staining his cheeks, "And I demand an answer!"

"I am going to deny that demand of yours then," says Rose sweetly.

"Why?! Why can't you answer that?" he cries out, feeling rather indignant that she was refusing to share this piece of information.

"Why do you even want to know?" she shoots back, placing her hands on her hips.

Scorpius opens his mouth to respond, but no words come out.

Why did he really want to know?

He doesn't know the answer to that, honestly.

He merely shrugs in response, causing her to laugh.

"You want to exchange notes on Lysander's snogging skills?" she asks, coming closer, her eyes twinkling with humour.

"Noo! I am good. Thanks." croaks Scorpius, now pressing himself back against the kitchen counter while Rose reduces the distance between them.

She was coming really close. Have her eyes always been so big and beautiful? Probably. The freckles on the bridge of her nose looked softer than they did last year.

Scorpius can feel his heart in his mouth as Rose stares at him. He could hear the cogwheels moving in her head.

Merlin, what was she thinking?

"Very well, then," says Rose dismissively, keeping the mug in its stand, "Then, let's-,"

Scorpius suddenly feels a cold chill running down his spine, and sudden warmth around him. Rose stares at him wide-eyed for a moment before looking up, causing him to look up as well.

Right above their heads is a sparkling, cackling mistletoe, almost teasing, taunting them.

Well, _shit_.

His stomach bottoms out

They had to kiss, didn't they? To get out of this?

Scorpius feels his throat dry up as the fact really sinks in. Rose's jaw is tense and she looks back at him, breathing deeply.

He, as in Scorpius, had to kiss her, as in Rose.

He's trying his best to comprehend the situation but he is overpowered by the sounds of his thundering heartbeat and heat of his face which is positive is burning as bright as the flaming sun.

The look on Rose's face turns to that of determination. She purses her lips.

Which is how he knows that she is readying herself. His ears are burning hot and he wouldn't be surprised if steam escaped out of them anytime now. His fingers are becoming more tingly-

He holds his breath, his eyes locked onto hers as she leans in - he can smell that familiar strawberry scent - her soft breath is tickling his lips - any second now -

Scorpius is nothing short of stunned when he feels Rose's lips land on his cheek. He is even more surprised when the mistletoe above them explodes into snowflakes with a festive yell of Happy Christmas. And then, there's no sign of the mistletoe above them.

"Wha-?" he gasps, confused beyond measure, just as Rose gasps 'It worked!'

The mistletoe could disappear without them having to actually kiss?

"What's going on?" he croaks. Rose simply stares above their heads in amazement, where the mistletoe had been mere seconds ago.

Scorpius discovers that he is getting more annoyed by the second, a weird feeling gnawing at his insides. Why didn't they have to kiss? She and Lysander had gotten into a full-blown snog, hadn't they?

He needs an answer now!

"Dad told us about this trick when he came in. " says Rose, sounding relieved, "He definitely wasn't amused when he saw me and Lysander snogging-"

And there it was again - the ugly feeling - scaling his insides as the horrible, vomit-inducing image of Lysander and Rose wrapped around each other like snakes, bombarded his mind - _fucking hell!_ -

"He didn't tell you this before? Before you and Lysander snogged?" he asks. The way Rose looks taken aback indicates that he may have sounded harsher than needed.

"Of course not," Rose responds, sounding slightly annoyed, "I seriously doubt Dad had counted on his nephews finding the Wheezes mistletoes. He didn't want anyone to know about their existence, lest we get any ideas. "

"Didn't that work out well?" he says humourlessly.

It certainly didn't.

"Why are you so weirded out by this?" asks Rose, narrowing her eyes, "You should be relieved, right? At least we didn't have to snog."

"I am relieved," replies Scorpius in a heartbeat. "I am. I really am. I really really am."

He really was. Really, really was.

Rose still looks unconvinced.

"It was just - _weird,_ seeing you and Lysander snog," says Scorpius, cringing. He runs a hand through his hair. "Like ewww."

"It's _ewww_?" repeats Rose tonelessly.

"Yeah," says Scorpius, trying to grasp at the last straws, "Best friends snogging each other is so wrong! It's like siblings snogging."

She looks even more surprised now.

"My parents were best friends before they realised they wanted to snog each other," she says slowly, her voice rising an octave with every word, "And look how they ended up. Teddy and Vicky were friends for years - _for years! -_ before they started snogging each other -"

Scorpius feels like ice has been dumped on him as a horrifying thought pops into his head.

Did Rose want to snog Lysander? Did she - _Merlin forbid_ \- fancy him?

"What are the chances it will work out?" he says hurriedly, "Your parents, and Teddy and Vicky - they are exceptions, how many other people you know ended up with their best friends? You and Lysander-"

"Hold on!" Rose's eyes are wide as she looks at him, "Me and Lysander?"

"Yeah, well," Scorpius says uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair, "If you like him and plan to date him-"

" _Whoa-whoa-whoa!_ " she interrupts, laughing now, " _Where did this come from?!_ I don't fancy Lysander. He definitely doesn't fancy me."

Something akin to relief expands his insides.

"You don't?" he asks, just to confirm. He is immeasurably relieved; Rose really has no idea!

"Of course not, it's ridiculous!" Comprehension dawns on her face, and she looks at him rather softly, " _You_ don't think there's something going on between me and Lysander, right?"

" _No!_ " he chuckles uncomfortably, his stomach churning uncomfortably, "Absolutely not. Others might, given how you both snogged. Unless..is there?"

Rose throws her head back and laughs again. Really laughs.

"Absolutely not," she giggles, the amusement lighting up her face, "It was just a silly stupid mistletoe kiss. We definitely don't fancy each other. The idiot actually wanted to compare notes with you because - well - we've kissed before. I should have skinned his arse for even joking about it."

Something rises within him, making him feel lighter. Scorpius surmises that it is relief; he won't have to worry about the trio falling apart. That's about that.

"Alright," he says, grinning, "So you don't fancy Lysander."

"I don't," says Rose, shaking her head. A loud cheer from outside interrupts their conversation.

"Bollocks!" curses Rose, "They must be ready to kick off the fireworks - I'll be back-,"

Without waiting for his response, she bundles upstairs.

Scorpius lets out a deep breath. He was panicking about Rose and Lysander for no reason.

They were just good friends. Just friends.

He didn't have to worry about anything.

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on."

Scorpius is startled at the noise. Lily appears from the corner fixing him with a look, a book in her hands.

"What was that for?" he asks, frowning at her, "And how long have you been lurking around?"

"I was simply reading out my book," she says lightly, holding up her book. It was called Othello.

"Oh really," says Scorpius dryly. Lily was rather well known in their house for being rather investigative, as if she always carried around Extendable Ears, sometimes coming up with observations that were very much debatable. But he wasn't in the mood to debate with her. He looks past her into the empty living room, "Have you seen Lysander?"

"Yeah, he's outside now. The fireworks are about to begin."

"Oh yes. Rose has just gone upstairs, I think to pick up something."

"Sure. And Scorpius?"

"Yeah?"

"Jealousy doesn't suit you."

The _fuck?_

Jealousy? Him?

" _Wha -do you even mean?! I am not_ _jealous!_ " he splutters, stunned at her words. Lily only raises her eyebrows in response, as if she thinks he is being ridiculous.

"I am not jealous. I have nothing to be jealous of," he trills heatedly, trying to drive home this point. This was ridiculous to hear! "Why would I be jealous?"

"I wasn't the one who walked off when Rose and Lysander were snogging under the mistletoe."

Scorpius flushes hotly, both at the implication and the fact that someone noticed him sneaking out.

He was NOT jealous of Lysander snogging Rose. Absolutely not.

"That wasn't jealousy! That was simply awkward -"

"You looked like you were going to kill someone. The sheer rage on your face was scary."

Scorpius is highly annoyed at how calm she sounds while he is practically bubbling with anger at her insinuations. Lily looks far too amused for his liking.

"Look," he starts, wagging his finger at her, "For me, it was just weird seeing Rose and Lysander kiss. It was like seeing your siblings kiss."

Lily's lips upturn into a smirk not so unlike James Potter's.

"Is that so?" she chuckles, her eyes twinkling with mirth, "You looked rather disappointed when Rose didn't snog you."

"I did not!" he exclaims, feeling his cheeks heat up. He'll have her know that he was not disappointed, just annoyed that Rose didn't discover the secret to the mistletoe before he had to see Rose and Lysander exchange saliva - _oh_ , he'll be sick again! - "You're just imagining things. I am not interested in Rose and she isn't interested in me. And Merlin, do you sneak around a lot? ' _Disappointed when Rose didn't snog_ ' - what does that even-"

"Alright then," sighs Lily, dropping her teasing stance, "Then I'll tell Felix that the coast is clear. He's been staring at her the whole time today. I just get these vibes from him-"

Scorpius can swear a blood vessel _popped_ somewhere within him.

What the actual _fuck_?

" _Felix?!_ " he hisses, his eyes bugging out. This conversation with Lily was getting more ridiculous by the minute. " _Longbottom?_ _The Head Boy?_ Does he want to ask her out? He's too old for Rose!"

"Who's too old for me?"

Rose appears at the bottom of the stairs looking at them suspiciously.

"Felix. I think he fancies you," says Lily without missing a beat.

Rose's eyes turn round. "Oh"

Scorpius is cursing Lily Potter's existence at the moment. What was the need to inform Rose about it? It was just a hunch, wasn't it? There was literally no need to share! If at all, it will only raise expectations.

"That's sweet if it's true," says Rose, her face turning pleasantly pink, "But I am not interested in him anymore."

For some odd reason he can't fathom, the urge to shoot Lily a triumphant smirk is overwhelming.

"But you fancied him, right? Sure there are no feelings lurking in there somewhere?" asks Lily, shooting Scorpius a furtive look. He only glares back in response.

"Nah!" Rose replies with a soft giggle, "Once I decide to move on from someone, I don't look back. He didn't return my feelings when I had them, so why would I wait?"

Lily looks taken aback at the statement, while Scorpius processes it - for himself.

Rose Weasley was definitely over _him_ , wasn't she? Now he didn't have to overthink things. There were no feelings from her side for him, and _definitely_ no feelings from his own side. Whatever had happened that night in the common room - it was harmless banter between two friends. No flirting.

All was well. Scorpius exhales deeply, straightening his shoulders.

"Let's go? I'm quite sure Albus and Alice have already hogged the best spots because they want to snog under the fireworks. Lovestruck idiots.."

Rose trails off as she walks ahead of them, opening the door to their yard where everyone was.

Lily catches Scorpius by the back of his jumper and says rather seriously in a quiet tone, "Jealousy is a sickness, my dear friend. Don't get consumed by it."

He merely rolls his eyes in response as they head out into the open yard.

There are oohs and aahs in the air as the fireworks begin. Scorpius is seated with Lysander and Rose and finds himself entranced by the whole visual treat, the night sky lighting up in different patterns and designs.

For a moment, he turns his head to look at Rose next to him and finds himself smiling as he watches her eyes widen in amazement, the corner of her lips upturning in the sweetest of smiles -

Which is when Lysander lugs his arm around her shoulders as he also watches the fireworks, and Scorpius feels something snap inside him.

Ugh, he hates Lily for putting the idea inside his head. Here was a simple gesture of affection between two people who were clearly close friends, and he was overanalysing things.

Scorpius scoffs internally. There was nothing to be jealous of. They were friends - a group of three. A trio with no one romantically inclined towards each other.

Lily, who was seated close to them, catches his eye. She looks pointedly at Rose and Lysander and grins at him, waggling her eyebrows as well.

_Oh for fuck's sake!_

Lily was wrong. He wasn't jealous at all.

He wasn't.

Period.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyric Credits of the Celestina Warbeck song - You Charmed The Heart Right Out of Me: Harry Potter Fandom Wiki
> 
> Angry little Scorpius is inching closer to a major realisation - any bets on when it will truly sink in for him? :D
> 
> This little sabbatical from writing was much-needed for me; it was so difficult to get even write one more word, so you've no idea how rather proud I am that I managed to get this one out before the end of the year, even if I wasn't the happiest with the final output. But the good thing is that the writing groove is back, so yay! Can't thank you guys enough for being so patient and sticking around! Let me know your thoughts on the chapter - your reviews are the bomb. 
> 
> Hope you all had a lovely Christmas. And wishing you all a Happy New Year!
> 
> Love & Laughter,
> 
> WeasleyKingRocks


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